Forum of Former House of Assembly Members Declare Support for APC, Ododo »

…call on INEC to take constitutional action against candidates fanning ethnic divisions, stoking atomic politics.

The Forum of former Kogi State House of Assembly Members have unanimously declared their support for the candidacy of the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Ahmed Usman Ododo.

The group also added that its members which comprised of House of Assembly member from 1999 resolved to work hard throughout the state to deliver victory resoundingly for the candidate of the APC on November 11, 2023, adding that his victory will further guarantee the future of the state.

The group made this known on Thursday, during a press statement delivered by the Forum’s Chairman, Alhassan Salisu Adakeke where he hinted that the forum desired the continuation of the revolution currently ongoing in education, health, agriculture, youth and women empowerment as well as infrastructure hence the need to support a man who understands the development wand of the current administration of Gov. Bello.

Hon. Adakeke also mentioned that the forum called on the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately activate relevant sections of the Electoral Law against candidates fanning ethnic divisions and stoking atomic politics.

He said ‘’Kogi State has remained very peaceful since the advent of the GYB administration and cannot afford to lose it now to desperate politicians dropping names after disrespecting the same names. Their only hope is violence. They are out to disunite the state and take us back to the dark days of ethnocentric politics. We reject their satanic ambitions and all they stand for. We will stand for unity, progress, development and security of lives and property. We will stand for Ododo Ahmed Usman’’.

The forum commended the state Governor, Yahaya Bello, for his giant strides in the state adding that his equitable distribution of landmark projects, his poverty-reduction policies and his huge success at uniting the state through his detribalized approach to governance have distinguished him as the best Governor to have ever led our state.

‘’He has built ensuring legacies of development, unity and progress. We are proud of him and what he has done to steer our state to the path of greatness and national consciousness’’.

Hon. Adakeke added further that the forum’s resolve to support the candidate of the All Progressives Congress was premised on the fact that he, Ododo is a product of a system that has put Kogi on the map of development.

He added that among the candidates jostling for the number one seat, he is the most qualified, the most experienced, the most prepared and the best man for the job and apart from his message of consolidation and continuity, Ahmed Usman Ododo possesses character traits of a great leader including accessibility, humility, brilliance and devoid of the negative drama that have dotted the histories of his competitors.

The former House Member said the former lawmakers are proud of the symbiotic relationship between the two Assemblies that worked with Governor Yahaya Bello attesting that a good number of Laws were passed that have helped to provoke development in the state.

He mentioned that the Local Government Audit Law was excellently implemented by the former Auditor General for Local Government and now the candidate of the APC, Hon. Ahmed Usman Ododo alluding that such implementation was able to improve transparency and accountability in that tier of government.

The affirmed that the difference between the forum and the usurpers, who caved in to the naira power of ethnic jingoists is that they cut across the state. This is one of the gains of the Yahaya Bello Administration; we no longer pander to the flames of ethnicity, but to the bunch of unity that we have become as a people and as a state, he added.

According to him, apart from the capacity, competence, capability, brilliance and readiness of Ahmed Usman Ododo for the task ahead, it is also pertinent to note that the Ajaokuta Steel resurgence is at the centre of the economic recovery plan of the Tinubu Presidency.

He noted that Kogi state supported the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and will continue to support him to succeed and cannot afford to elect a mediocre into Lugard House who will be opposed to the economic plan that will make Nigeria a true giant of Africa.

Hon. Adakeke said that Kogi is too central to Nigeria to be in the hand of the opposition, not when Governor Yahaya Bello has led the ruling party into dominant victories since 2015 while re assuring that they will vote to keep Kogi at the centre of political reckoning in Nigeria.