Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja

The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in next month’s Kogi governorship election, Mr Musa Wada, has called on governor Yahaya Bello to start preparing his handover note as his time was up.

Wada gave the advice over the weekend during the inauguration ceremony of the  600, PDP-member campaign committee saying the people of the state were tired of hunger and penury that Governor Bello’s administration had thrown at them.

He said the people of the state which used to be vibrant and healthy had been turned to hopeless beggars due to non-payment of salaries and provision of social amenities.

While calling on the people to vote massively for the PDP in the forthcoming election, he promised to provide quality service and restore the lost glory of the state in the areas of agriculture, sports, solid minerals, tourism, and culture.

Wada further assured that all parts of the state would enjoy the dividends of democracy if eventually, he became the governor, saying that staff welfare,  prompt payment of salaries and pension would be his priority.

Speaking earlier,  the state chairman of the party, Mr Samuel Uhuotu, tasked the committee members to ensure issue-based campaigns and urged them to avoid engaging in hate speech and heaping of insults on other candidates.

Uhuotu, insisted that the party’s governorship candidate, Mr Musa Wada, remains the man to beat in the election, saying that the poor performance of the incumbent had made the election a walkover for him.

In his acceptance speech, the Director-General of Musa/Aro Governorship Campaign Organisation, Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf who spoke on behalf of others, assured that his committee had already concluded arrangements to ensure a robust campaign in all the nook and crannies of the state.

He pledged that the campaigns would be issue-based and peaceful, but warned security agents, especially the police and the civil defence corps to remain neutral.

Yusuf  also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to create a level playing field for all the parties contesting the Nov. 16 election.

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, urged the people of the state to use the opportunity of the election to liberate themselves from misrule, poverty and other forms of injustices they had been visited with.

He expressed delight over the large turnout of the people at the event, saying that the party was poised to win the election on a level playing field.