By Enejoh Solomon Ojotu.
As the race to the 2019 Kogi East senatorial election hots up, the Forum of Igala Journalists (FORIJA) have thrown their weight behind the senatorial ambition of Comrade Amade Godwin Edime.
The forum at her monthly meeting on Saturday assured Comrade Edime of full media support when it played host to the vibrant Comrade.
Taking turns to address Comrade Edime, members expressed their displeasure over the abysmal performances of the previous representatives from Kogi East urging him to be different.
Speaking, Mr Jerry Ocheme of the Africa Independent Television (AIT) and Ray Power, who is the Public Relations Officer (P.R.O.) of the Forum charged Edime not to toy with the power of the media.
Ocheme said: “You are the only politician that we have invited so far to this noble Forum because we know your passion for our people. But remain accessible when you get there so that you can still be bold enough to approach us some other time.”
Elder Reuben Okala, a veteran broadcaster of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA); Mr Ndanusa Ocholi, the pioneer president of the Forum who is also the Managing Editor of Daily Asset Newspaper; Alhaji Idris Isah formerly with The Nation Newspaper and currently National Express, all narrated their ugly experiences with some Igala politicians which they said Edime should guide against.
Responding, Comrade Edime assured the Forum of his continuous loyalty and gratitude, adding that 30 percent of his winning power depended on the media.
He averred: “I’m a friend of the media and I know its potency . They can either make or mar anyone, irrespective of your status.
“However, I’m running for the senate because the people that we have been sending are our ‘second and third eleven’ who can never win any trophy. They are never prepared holistically to face the rigors associated with the job of a legislator. All they care about is their self-centered and primordial interests”, he added.
“But I’m prepared to confront any age-long obstacle at the national level that has kept us far away from our entitlements. I’m going there to collect the portion that belongs to our people,” the Comrade asserted.
He therefore thanked the Forum for the opportunity to address them promising to host them on a larger scale on a later date where he would give a lucid lowdown of his entire vision for the people of Kogi East.
Comrade Edime is contesting the senate seat on the platform of the Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA).
