Sylvanus Viashima
The Kogi State Forum of aspirants on Monday advised the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to issue the governorship ticket of the party to Governor Yahaya Bello if APC wants to retain Kogi in the forthcoming governorship election in November.
The aspirants disclosed their position via a communique issued at the end of their general meeting in Abuja over the weekend.
The two-page communique which was signed by Mr Ben Adaji and Mr. Anthony Odana, Chairman and Secretary respectively of the communiqué-drafting committee, explained “that the forum unanimously rejects the candidature of Governor Yahaya Bello to run for the second term due to bad leadership and non-performance.”
The forum appealed to the National Chairman of the APC, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, and the National Working Committee (NWC) not to risk the forthcoming governorship ticket to Governor Yahya Bello as that would be tantamount to losing Kogi State to the opposition.
The aspirants observed that in spite of the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to all APC governors to reconcile and accommodate these group of aspirants after the last primary elections with a view to carrying them along in the overall interest of the party, Governor Yahaya Bello had remained adamant and had continued to treat the Kogi aspirants as enemies and second-class citizens in a party they have laboured for.
While declaring their unalloyed support and commitment to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC, they also expressed their willingness to mobilise support for the party in all the 21 local government areas of Kogi.
The communique further highlights that, at the end of the exhaustive meeting, Alhaji Yahaya Audu was unanimously endorsed by the forum to contest the forthcoming governorship election in the state.