Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
Candidates of other political parties contesting for the Kogi West senatorial re-run election have stepped down for the APC candidate, Smart Adeyemi.
The contestants said their decision to step down was informed by the current political exigencies and the need to alter a one-direction political reality which had always produced successive governors of the state from one ethnic group for five uninterrupted times since the creation of the state.
The senatorial candidates described the act as inequitable, unjust, unfair, demanding the concerns of all thus the need for them to bury their aspirations.
The candidates who said that the election of Governor Yahaya Bello had automatically reversed the one- ethnic group dominance of the gubernatorial seat and established a process for equitable power-sharing that is fostering unity, fairness, and equity as against the previous ethnic propensity, tribal biases
The candidates who stepped down their ambition are Olabode Adeyemi of African Democratic Congress, Princess Roseline Ibitoye of Accord Party, Chief Samuel Atteh of PPA, Olasunkanmi Aina Olayinka of CAP, Noah John Abiodun of PPN and Olasunkanmi Aina of PT among others.
Speaking on behalf of the candidates, Adeyemi Olabode John said they had weighed the factors that would inform voting on the 16th of November, the intricacies, previous political realities, ethnic considerations and other germane issues and took a decision they considered would be best for the state.
According to him “as important stakeholders in the November 16th gubernatorial election and senatorial elections, we have reviewed the obvious realities, appraised the political journey of the past and have resolved collectively, to defer our ambitions till future election year and support the All Progressive Congress (APC) for the November 16th gubernatorial and senatorial elections.
“By this decision, we have instructed our agents in all the polling units, canvassers and coordinators across board to campaign, work, mobilise and vote for all the APC candidates for the November 16th election,” Omoluabi disclosed.
