The gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party in the November governorship election in Kogi state, Engineer Ayodele Raymond Ajibola has dissociated himself and his party from the endorsement of the APC candidate, Governor Yahaya Bello by forty five political parties in the state.
Engineer Ajibola who spoke to newsmen shortly after the endorsement which held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) conference hall in Lokoja stated said his party was not and would never be part of any endorsement because he is prepared and ready to square it up with anyone in the forthcoming election slated for November 16th.
Engineer Ayodele said he has toiled and sweated to emerge as the candidate of one of the most oldest political party in Nigeria, PRP, and as such would never trade his credibility for peanut offered to political parties by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to publicly endorse Bello.
According to him,”we are prepared to go into the election with all seriousness and as such won’t sell ourselves and party to any party and candidate whatsoever for peanuts. Even if there is any agreement for endorsement with anyone in our party, it should be negotiated with the national officers of my party and the PRP at the national level have not in anyway intimated me of any agreement with APC and their candidate.
On this note, I dissociates myself and party from any endorsement of any candidate.”
Adding its voice, Hope Democratic Party (HDP) candidate, Engr Abdulmalik Mohammed Adama said his party has nothing to do with the endorsement.
‘We have received several calls from our teaming supporters to confirm Hope Democratic Party (HDP)’s position in Governor Yahaya Bello’s second term endorsement as we were allegedly mentioned among the 45 parties that threw in their support him.
“We want to categorically make clear that we do not have anything to do with Hon Sani Teidi and Hon Itodo led arrangements in that regard. Hope Democratic Party (HDP) remain focused with its agenda to transform Kogi State to a leading most attractive and sort for state in Nigeria.
“Hope Democratic Party (HDP) is the first party to be endorsed in Kogi State by INEC and we remain resolute with our position as the Third Force in the state determined to ensure a secure Kogi State and create unprecedented massive infrastructural developments and employment opportunities for our teaming unemployed youths and the masses.
“We enjoin all our teaming supporters to remain committed as their sacrifices will not be in vain. Hope Democratic Party (HDP) will run an all inclusive government and we are determined to bring happiness to every home in Kogi State this time around.
Also, KOWA party, listed as one of the 45 political parties that endorsed Bello for another four years in office at a forum held in Lokoja, the state capital, on Wednesday, denied being part of the arrangement.
KOWA’s Acting National Chairman, Mark Adebayo, in a statement issued at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja on Thursday, strongly dissociated the party from “the purported endorsement”.
He said: “It has been brought to the notice of KOWA Party’s national leadership through a few news media that KOWA Party was listed among political parties that participated in the purported endorsement of Governor Yahaya Bello for the second term. There are laid down processes and procedures in the party to follow before such an action could take place.
“Certainly, the party cannot be committed to such an act of significant political implications without the involvement and clear approval of the party’s National Executive Committee. But this never happened.”
Adebayo said that the party has commenced an investigation to unravel the circumstances that led to the alleged endorsement, adding that appropriate disciplinary measure would be applied on “whoever is culpable of illegally committing the party without clearance from the national leadership of the party.”
The party chairman added: “Whatever arrangement the purported endorsement entails is null and void as far as KOWA Party is concerned.
“Whatever happened was an individual’s action or a few individuals at the state level without the official approval of the party’s national leadership and, to that extent, it’s of no value.
“We assure all members and well-wishers of KOWA Party who have been calling and expressing concern about this unexpected development that the party remains focused on building an enviable political structure different from the notorious Nigerian factor and a party untainted by the roguish political culture of the ruling cliques.
“We are determined to stick with the patriotic founding vision of the party as one that will liberate Nigerians from persistent leadership failures and avoidable socio-economic quagmire into which the country has been plunged by respective visionless leaders that have governed the country since independence.
“KOWA Party is different and we shall make the difference in due course irrespective of the challenges confronting the party currently.”
