Kogi Guber 2023: APC, Ododo Gaining More Grounds »

By Olugbemi Femi

Months away from the November 11 Governorship election in Kogi state, the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and its Gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Ododo Ahmed Usman seems to be gaining more grounds and popularity in the state.

Going by the primary election conducted on the 14th of April, 2023 with many of the governorship aspirants dissatisfied with the outcome of the process, one may think that is the end of the ruling party in the state.

But the reverse is the case as many who complained and protested to the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja have since dropped their grievances expect two of them, one of which is Muritala Ajaka who have decamped to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) despite his not have a headway with the electoral acts which stipulated that the party register must be submitting 30 days before the party primary and Senator Smart Adeyemi who just lost his court case few days ago against the candidate and the party.

The affirmation of Alhaji Ododo Ahmed Usman as the duly elected Governorship Candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress in Kogi State by Justice J.K Omotosho of the Federal High court, Abuja is another master stroke that has made the party and its candidate stronger ahead of the election date.

“Delivering judgment in the suit marked “FHC/CS/556/2023 Smart Adeyemi v. APC & 2 Ors”, on Wednesday, Justice J.K. Omotosho held that Adeyemi’s allegations were criminal in nature, as he alleged that elections did not hold and that the produced results were forged”

“The court held that the Applicant needed to prove the allegations of forgery, falsification of results, beyond reasonable doubts”.

“The court further noted that the burden rests on the Applicant to produce the forged result or the original and the forged results to discharge the burden of proof, adding that failure to discharge the burden “is fatal to the case of the Applicant.”

Having dismissed the case for lack of merit one may be tempted to say that the complainant has no case, hence the ruling party may be heading for victory.

Again just last week, Okun people in the West Senatorial District of the state staged a program in Kabba where a strong support group, Okun United for Ododo/Joel Project was unveiled. The support group have promised to work assiduously to galvanize and mobilize all available resources to secure votes that will give overwhelming victory to the party come November 11.

As if that was not enough, a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Attai Aidoko led many prominent opposition politicians from the Igala dominated area to meet with Governor Yahaya Bello and Alhaji Ododo Ahmed Usman, saying that they are not in for ethnic agenda, rather the only agenda before the people is national political integration wherein individuals could actively participate in prominent roles that would bring honor and glory to the state.

He made it clear that the state needs a broad-based coalition that will transcend party and ethnic lines and also criticized those using ethnic agenda describing them as narrow minded individuals that are only seeking for personal aggrandizement.

He emphasized that his group will continue to advocate for a more inclusive approach that prioritizes the interest of residents in the state irrespective of their ethnic, religious and political backgrounds.

If the momentum gathered by the party and its candidate continues, it is very clear that the APC is already heading to victory come November 11.