Mammoth crowd, gridlock as Kogi APC rally shuts down Anyigba. »

Anyigba, the commercial headquarters of Igala Kingdom was today agog as hundreds of thousands of people came out to receive Governor Yahaya Bello, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate and the campaign team to the town for the Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency APC rally.

Bello arrived the venue of the rally with the Deputy Governor of the state and running mate, Chief Edward Onoja, the senator representing Kogi East in the National Assembly, Jibrin Isah, the member representing Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdullahi Hassan Baiwa, National women leader of the party, Hajiya Salamatu Baiwa, APC state chairman, Abdullahi Bello, Kogi East APC zonal chairman, Ahmed Attah amongst others.

The rally, which held at the open field of St. Peters Primary School, Anyigba saw the largest crowd yet gathered in support of any candidate. The streets were lined with supporters who came to catch a glimpse of the governor and his deputy.

Presenting the party’s candidate to the enthusiastic supporters on the ground, the party chairman said, “I present to you your sons, the people who have brought development to your land, the people who have placed you first in the affairs of the state.

“vote for them for sustainable development, vote for them for inclusion”.

The Senator representing Kogi East, Jibril Isah (Echocho) said Governor Bello is a humanist who believes in uplifting the people. He said Bello has brought so much development to Igala land and called on the people to vote for him in November 16.

On her part, the National women leader of APC, Hajiya Salamatu Baiwa said Governor Yahaya Bello is committed to the overall development of the state and said Kogi East have gained immensely from the present government. She said because Governor Bello is development inclined, they have joined hands with him for the betterment of the state and called on women in the area to show their strength by voting massively for APC.

The Zonal APC Chairman, honorable Ahmed Attah said Dekina local government is ready to diliver massive votes to APC and called on the people to jettison mundane sentiments and vote for governor Bello and Edward Onoja who he described as competent.

The Deputy Governor, Chief Edward Onoja said the APC is a party that believes in development, he listed the various projects executed by the governor in the last three years and said it has dwarfed all the PDP claimed to have done in their sixteen years in power.

He called on the people of Kogi East, especially the youths to use this election to prove to the PDP that Kogi State is not the property of a few individuals who see themselves as emperors.

Yahaya Bello, nearly overwhelmed by the mammoth gathering, energetically made his way to the stage and addressed the supporters, reaffirming his commitment to restoring security, education and infrastructure.

Bello who took time to eulogize the former governor of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu, said the late Audu was the pillar of development in Kogi State and as such, the state government have decided to honor him by reverting the name of the state owned university to Prince Abubakar Audu University.

“In life we must give honor to whom honor is due, and as we continue to remember our late leader, the pillar of development in Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu, we have decided to immortalize him by renaming the state owned university after him.

“i have sent a bill to the state house of assembly to legally effect this change. Kogi State university will henceforth be known as Prince Abubakar Audu University”. he said to an uplifted audience who chanted in return, “Kogi Sai Bello”.