By Michael Jegede.
The Director General (DG) of Lokoja All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign council for the just concluded governorship election in Kogi State, Hon. Fancy Jimoh Tiamiyu, says the landslide victory of Governor Yahaha Bello and his Deputy, Chief Edward Onoja, was due to the unanimous decision taken by Kogites not to change “a high-performance team”.
Tiamiyu, a grassroots mobilizer, made the remark in a statement issued to congratulate the duo of Bello and Onoja, the party faithful and the entire people of Kogi State for APC’s victory in the guber poll.
According to Tiamiyu, with Bello as governor and Onoja as his deputy, Kogi will witness greater development that will bring about further transformation of the state to better the lives of the people.
“With a greatly deep sense of joy in my heart, I congratulate our indefatigable and indomitable leader, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, and his ever vibrant, tenacious and supportive deputy, Chief Edward Onoja on their resounding victory at the polls. My profound gratitude goes to the members of my team, the Lokoja Local Government Area APC Governorship Campaign Council for their cooperation, understanding and maturity during the electioneering campaigns. May I also wholeheartedly congratulate and thank the great and wonderful citizens of Kogi State for keeping to their promise to re-elect our amiable and performing governor.
“There is no doubt that this massive win would not have been achieved devoid of the collective agreement of the good people of Kogi State. So, Bello’s re-election was as a result of the unanimous decision reached by the entire Kogites to retain a high-performance team,” Tiamiyu avowed.
The DG added that “Kogi people have spoken in one voice to give Bello another mandate. All other candidates in the election should accept this God-ordained victory of GYB-CEDO in good faith and joins hands with the APC-led government to lift Kogi to greater heights. The victory is overwhelming, and therefore, cannot be faulted. Apart from some cases of violence witnessed in certain areas and polling units, the election was, by and large, transparent, free and fair. It was a true reflection of the common desire of Kogites.”
Continuing, he said: “The triumph of Bello in the just concluded election has broken a jinx. In the history of Kogi State, Bello is the first elected governor from an ethnic group outside the zone that has been the power bloc of the state since its creation over 28 years ago. The truth is that when the people’s will is pointing towards the same direction, neither the power bloc nor powerful individuals could stop the momentum. How was Bello able to break the jinx? His style of leadership did it. Right from his first set of appointments upon assumption of office, he portrayed himself as a detribalized politician that came to serve as a unifying factor by carrying along all ethnic groups – be it majority or minority. There was no dominance of any particular tribe in his government. Projects and resources are evenly distributed across the three senatorial districts in the state as against what obtained previously.
“Bello’s government is the most youth-friendly administration we have had in Kogi State. Youths are fully empowered and given the opportunity to man key positions of authority. They are not being relegated to the background as it was in the past. Tell me, how then would anyone think Bello will not get a second mandate from Kogi people?”
Tiamiyu, who is also the DG of Senator Smart Adeyemi Campaign Organization for the Kogi West senatorial rerun election, expressed confidence that the declaration of the rerun poll as inconclusive, would not change anything from the victory already secured by the APC, any day the electoral body decides to conduct the supplementary election.
Senator Adeyemi, the APC candidate, was leading his main opponent, Senator Dino Melaye of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with over twenty thousand votes before the rerun election was declared inconclusive.
