Thousands of supporters of the winner of ill-fated 2011 Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) governorship primary in Kogi State, Alhaji Jibrin Isah Echocho have finally joined Governor Idris Wada support group in the state to work in harmony for his re-election.
Echocho had been at loggerheads with the incumbent Governor Idris Wada over the legitimacy of his candidacy in the 2012 primary.
He claimed that he was the legitimate candidate for that election having won the January 2011 election before the court judgment postponed the election.
As long as the litigation he brought against Governor Idris Wada lasted his followers became opposition group within the party.
Having pursued his case to Supreme Court against Wada and lost, the source said the group had no option but to join the Wada train.
The group, which came under the aegis of Echocho Core Group, collapsed their structure to Kogi Transformation Network, KOTRAN, an NGO that is in the forefront of Wada’s re-election bid, after several efforts to continue to oppose the governor bore no fruits.
Chairman of the group, Comrade Johnson Musa over the weekend at the formal meeting between them and officials of the KOTRAN said having weighed the implication of continued political agitation without success that may be detrimental to the development of the state; they have decided to formally join the present administration in the state to ensure peace in the state.
Arc Amdii Amdii the Secretary of Echocho Core Group
The group debunked the rumour making rounds in the state that Echocho group have decamped to APC stressing that they were foundation members of the PDP.
They distanced themselves from some members of the ruling party who claimed to have defected to the opposition party, APC recently.
“To me APC as a party does not exist, so, why do we want to defect to it,” the Echocho Core group leader stated.
Responding, Special Adviser to the governor on Millennium Development Goal, MDG, Mr. Nasir who represented the governor commended the patriotic zeal displayed by the group adding that they should join hands with the present administration in the state to enable it record the desired result through people orientation.
