By Zacchaeus Ozovehe.
The Senator representing Kogi Central, Dr Yakubu Oseni said Kogi All Progressives Congress (APC) delegates have made a wise decision by electing Governor Yahaya Bello as the party’s flag bearer in the forthcoming gubernatorial election, noting that performers cannot be replaced with mediocres.
The lawmaker made the statement in Lokoja shortly after the announcement of Governor Yahaya Bello as the flag bearer having defeated nine other contestants in the party’s primary election.
Dr Oseni who said the APC has proved itself as champion of internal democracy in Nigeria reminisced that the Governor, having duly submitted himself for the six- member APC screening Committee headed by Senator Hope Uzodimma on 22nd August, was cleared and has eventually emerged victorious from the most transparent primary election of any political party in the history of the state.
A total number of 3,838 delegates across the three senatorial districts were accredited. At the end of the exercise, Governor Yahaya Bello polled 3,091 out of 3596 valid votes. Former NFF President, Sanni Abdullahi Lulu recorded 7 votes, Engr Bashir Gegu got 3, Yahaya Audu scored 10, Hassan Baiwa garnered 44 and Babatunde Irukera polled 109 votes.
While there were 54 invalid votes, Danlami Umar Mohammed, Aisha Ekele, Hadiza Iyoma Ibrahim and Yakubu Mohammed recorded zero vote.
An APC stalwart from Dekina Local Government Area of the state, Comrade Okpanachi Joel who described Governor Yahaya Bello as an uncommon, focused and detribalized leader said he is now convinced that no matter forceful human elements could be, it cannot alter the course of destiny.
“God has brought Governor Bello to liberate us from the shackles of tribalism, nepotism and wanton inefficiency. The old guard and selfish individuals whose inordinate aspirations inhibited our development as a state have failed again to stop this child of destiny. We all need to work in unison to ensure victory for our party come November 16”, he urged.
It would be recalled that on 26th August, 2019, the APC Screening Committee headed by Senator Hope Uzodimma in a widely publicised results, cleared Governor Yahaya Bello, Engr Abubakar Bashir, Hassan Abdullahi Baiwa and Ekele Aisha Blessing to contest for the party’s gubernatorial ticket.
Subsequently, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) after thorough deliberation on the reports of the screening and appeal committee and relying on the party’s guidelines and the provisions of the Electoral Act, cleared ten more aspirants.
However, NWC through a statement signed the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mall. Lanre Issa-Onilu, aspirants like Usman Oyibe Jibril, Mustapha Mona Audu, Mohammed Audu and two others were screened out of the contest as a result of various infractions which the leadership of the party found inimical to its victory in the state.
Governor Yahaya Bello, having clinched his party’s ticket will slug it out with candidates of other political parties in the forthcoming November 16th election.
