Kogi Guber: Dep-Gov, Others Surrender As Yahaya Bello Points Direction

The night of long knives for the camp of Governor Yahaya Bello in the Kogi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ended on Thursday evening with some of the major aspirants associated with the governor stepping down for Ahmed Usman Ododo as the groups nominee for the primary holding on Thursday.

Ododo, the immediate past Auditor-General of the State and from Kogi Central was chosen ahead of the outgoing deputy governor of the state, Edward Onoja and Pharmacist Abdulkareem Asuku, the chief of staff to the governor.

Others in the governor’s camp who withdrew from the race included Mr David Adebanji Jimoh; a former Commissioner for Finance, Asiwaju Ashiru Idris; Okala Yakubu, and Momoh Jubril.

Onoja and Asuku were among the leading aspirants who following the stakeholders’ meeting of the governor’s associates made public their acceptance of their fate.

GWG.ng reports that Ododo will be marketed on the platform of the claim that zoning has never been practiced in the state, a claim that will be projected by the 16 straight years of dominance of the governorship by Kogi East, the state’s largest ethnic bloc made up of the Igala.

GWG.ng reports that following the meeting at the APC secretariat in Lokoja, Onoja and Asuku announced their withdrawal from the governorship race via their respective verified Facebook pages

Onoja who was the powerhouse of the government in the first term of the Yahaya Bello administration in a cryptic post said:

“To God be the glory for life and divine health. My appreciation to my leader, HE Alhaji Yahaya Bello and all my supporters for your love and prayers. Let love, patience and perseverance lead. I am forever grateful.”

Asuku, who succeeded Onoja as chief of staff and with it the influence that had been concentrated in the office and had become the deputy governor’s main rival for the succession within the Yahaya Bello camp, on his part said:

“Alhamdulillah! Alhamdulillah !!Alhamdulillah !!!

All praises and adoration are due to the most high God the greater of the entire universe and the sustainer of same who have safeguard my life and that of my immediate family and well wishers to witness this moment in my life. I sincerely appreciate His Excellency, my benefactor, for all that Allah have been using him to do in my life. As such, I hereby submit myself publicly to the decision taken today and I will forever live to remain loyal and dedicated to the decision of my party as I enjoin all my well wishers to work with us for our great party APC to become victorious in the November 11th General Election.”

However, the incumbent Senator Smart Adeyemi from Kogi West remains in the contest and with a divided army will now face the full onslaught of the Yahaya Bello machine in the primary slated for Thursday to be conducted by Governor Mohammed Bello Matawale of Zamfara.

GWG.ng reports that the Zamfara governor was recently a collaborator with Governor Yahaya Bello in their fight against President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Godwin Emefiele of the Central Bank of Nigeria over the naira redesign policy of the apex bank.

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