One of the key aspirants jostling for All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket in Kogi State, Senator Smart Adeyemi, has called on the party to field its candidate from the western axis of the state.
Adeyemi made the call while featuring on Trust TV’s political programme, Daily Politics on Friday.
The senator, who currently represents Kogi West in the National Assembly, said it will be at the peril of the party not to field a candidate from the western part of the state.
“Kogi West leaders, women and professionals have met and decided that none of us will vote for any candidate that’s not from the zone. We are not slaves. We are not conquered. This is our resolution as a people.
“How can we be in a state for 32 years and we are not allowed to produce a governor and you want us to say we are part of that state? It doesn’t make sense. The world is governed by fairness.
“The world is listening to me. We are part and parcel of Kogi State. We supported Yahaya Adoza Bello. In fact, he won his second term with the support of Kogi west because at that time, the zone had one of their own who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“We didn’t field a candidate in the APC. So, we supported him with the understanding that he would hand over to the west. And I am not in doubt that he is still going to do that because in politics, 24 hours is still a long time.
“Let me tell you that it will be at the peril of the party not to field a candidate from Kogi West. And we are just three that are contesting for it; myself, the commissioner of finance and one businessman from Lagos,” he said.
Senator Adeyemi explained that he, alongside other members of the party in his senatorial district, had supported the re-election bid of Governor Yahaya Bello with the expectation that he was going to cede power to the west at the end of his tenure.
