Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee for the APC Governorship Campaign Council, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, has declared that Governor Yahaya Bello has done better than any past leader of the state.
In an exclusive interview with Kogireports.com, the Mopamuro-born politician spoke on the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Kogi governorship election will hold in the next 8 weeks, how prepared is your party, APC?
We are prepared as you can see that we have set up our Campaign Council with a two-term Senator as Director General. The reputation of Senator Smart Adeyemi is already a nightmare to the sinking opposition party. All our Sub-Committees are poised for the task ahead. We are in it to win it.
As campaign spokesperson, what is your take about growing insinuation that November 16 governorship election will be a test of strength between Igalas and Ebiras?
The Governorship campaign will be a test of what Governor Yahaya Bello has achieved in uniting the major ethnic groups in the State together. It will show where we are as a state and how much we have succeeded in annihilating ethnic jingoism. Our Governorship candidate is from the Central Senatorial District, our Deputy Governorship Candidate is from the Eastern Senatorial District and the Director General of the Campaign is from Kogi West. That is our definition of EBIGO.
GYB has moved our state away from the banks of ethnic and religious divisions and distrust. Today, we see ourselves as one indivisible family united by destiny. Today, we see ourselves as Kogi State. It took a strong willed leader like GYB to achieve that. For the first time, our Chief of Staff is not from the same Senatorial District as the governor. It was not difficult for the Governor to do that. He has always been a detribalized leader. These issues and others will shape our campaign.
The incumbent is seeking a second term in office, has he justified the current mandate?
Massively justified. He has recorded stupendous feat in governance, civil service reforms, healthcare delivery, education and agriculture. He has done better than any past leader of the state. And like Sen. Adeyemi said recently, GYB is the only Governor that has built on the laudable foundation of our leader, late Prince Abubakar Audu. He has massive street credibility because he connects to the need of the grassroots people.
Talking about civil service reforms, opposition candidates have warned that Gov. Bello will not pay worker’s salaries, if given a second term. What should civil servants expect in the second term of his administration?
We are going into election without us owing the civil servants. PDP as the ruling party in 2015 went into election owing 4 months. Who should they believe between PDP and APC? The person who owed the salaries was is the elder brother of the present PDP Governorship candidate. So are they actually different? Kogi State Civil Servants should expect us to continue to pay their salaries promptly. We are committed to this. It is not about saying it. They will feel it.
GYB-led Kogi government has experienced the longest and fiercest intra-party crisis in the state. How will your candidate manage aggrieved party members before November 16?
What we had wasn’t crisis but the normal political attrition and abrasions. Politics is all about interest. The manner through which the Governor emerged after the demise of Prince Abubakar Audu didn’t go down well with some people who felt their own side of the coin is not facing up. But the Governor was able to ring the party together strongly before the primary election. The National Headquarters also wielded all interests into one after the primary. We are one today and there is no division within the party. Instead, the ranks of the PDP has capitulated as many of them have seen the light and have joined our party. APC is approaching the November 16 poll with sound health.
It is being alleged that APC is fueling the post-primary crisis in PDP. How true is this
There is no need to whip a dead horse. PDP in Kogi State is already a dead horse. We had a successful primary in APC despite all the high level of competition. PDP couldn’t manage the various interests within the party; hence the crisis that rocked the party. We have no hand at all in what happened to them. What happened was a sad reminder of the PDP days in our state. We have moved away from Egypt forever.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner recently expressed worries over electoral violence. What’s your advice for the electoral umpire?
I think his position would have been informed by the threat of “fire” by the candidate of the PDP. He won after “fire” in the Confluence Stadium and he thinks it is a successful culture. We have confidence in our security architecture to prevent or quench the fire they are threatening to unleash. This campaign will be issue based. We are not ready for violence. INEC should be rest assured that violence won’t rear its ugly head before, during and after the elections. We are set for the most peaceful election in the history of the state. It is fast becoming a no contest.
I urge our supporters and the entire electorate to campaign on issues and avoid any insult on the opposition. It is an election and not a war. The ambition of the Governor is not worth the blood of any Kogite. He wants to lead a peaceful state and the upcoming election won’t change that. Our state and her peace is our top priority.
