The Speaker of Kogi House of Assembly, Matthew Kolawole, has congratulated Gov. Yahaya Bello and his Deputy, Chief Edward Onoja, on their victory in the just-concluded governorship election in the state.
The speaker’s congratulatory message was contained in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Femi Olugbemi, in Lokoja on Tuesday.
Kolawole, who described the victory as “overwhelming”, said it was “well-deserved and long expected, considering the credible efforts of the New Direction administration to reposition the state for the prosperity of all”.
He said the re-election of Bello and Onoja was a reflection of the impact of the developmental strides of the administration on the people.
The speaker also congratulated the All Progressives Congress (APC) family in the state under the leadership of Abdullahi Bello for fostering the unity and cohesion that culminated in the party’s overwhelming victory.
Kolawole said that the victory had further demonstrated that Kogi was truly an APC state in view of the records from the last general elections in which the party performed creditably.
He urged the opposition to embrace peace and work with the current administration in order to move the state forward and advance the cause of the people.
The speaker also thanked the people of the state and Kogi West Senatorial District in particular, for believing in the leadership and person of the governor in trooping out en-masse and conducting themselves peacefully to re-elect him.
He said their resolve in re-electing the governor in spite of the campaign of calumny by the opposition was commendable.
He enjoined other contestants in the election to imbibe the spirit of sportsmanship and put the contest behind them to join hands with the governor to make Kogi greater.
Kolawole, however, was optimistic that in spite of the inconclusiveness of the Kogi West Senatorial election, the APC Candidate, Sen. Smart Adeyemi, has a good chance of winning the re-run election.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Bello, in a victory announced by INEC in Lokoja on Monday, defeated the PDP’s candidate, Musa Wada, by 406,222 to 189,704 votes to retain the governorship seat. (NAN)