Candidate of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the November 11 governorship election in Kogi state, Hon. Leke Abejide, has promises better life for local government council workers, women and artisans.
Abejide made this known on Wednesday visited Lokoja Local Council in Kogi West Senatorial District.
He promised to provide working tools for artisans to improve on their skilled trades while women will also be encouraged to form cooperative societies with each group provided with revolving, interest free loans to trade with. Under the scheme, he said each group will receive N5million.
He noted that because of the size of Lokoja, 12 cooperative groups will access the loans from the state capital. He estimated the cost at N1b and assured that the scheme would go round the 21 local councils in the state.
He demanded 95 percent of the votes of the electorate in the state capital.
The ADC candidate who described his visit to Lokoja as homecoming, said he would expect not less than 95 percent votes of the Okun speaking Oworo people.
He told the crowd at Felele area that it was the turn of Kogi West Senatorial District to produce the next governor of the state, saying he stood the better chance to emerge as the favourite candidate amongst the three candidates from the zone, in terms of competence, acceptability and antecedents.
He noted that his campaign train had moved round the entire nine and five councils in Kogi East and Central Senatorial Districts respectively, and was well received adding that with overwhelming home support the much sought agitation for power shift to Kogi West is achievable on November 11 2023.
He said his adoption by the Kogi West Elders Forum (KWEF) as the consensus candidate for the zone was evidence of his acceptability and popularity extending to two other Senatorial Districts.
The visit by Abejide alongside his running mate Dr Idris Omede and other members of the ADC governorship campaign council which took the team to Felele, Kewon Hotel and Zango Daji parts of the state capital was in continuation of the state wide tour by the campaign team.
Abejide promised to be fair to all sections of the state regardless of creed, if elected, describing the entire people of the state as one indisoluble entity united by the common aspiration to see the state make progress under a responsive and responsible leadership.
If elected, he promised to grant autonomy to the local governments with a view to removing encumbrances on the council statutory allocations thereby bringing governance closer to the grassroots.
He said as a two terms member of House of Representatives, his developmental strides ranging from road construction, rural electrification, widows and youth empowerment are visible in his federal constituency, assuring that if elected, his performance at that level will be replicated across the state. Specifically, Abejide promised to extend his annual free WAEC fees for final year secondary school students in Yagba Federal Constituency and Kabba Bunu Ijumu Federal Constituency to Lokoja axis, not taking into account the outcome of the election.
