Despite protest by aggrieved governorship aspirants, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State on Friday presented Usman Ododo to President Muhammadu Buhari as the party’s governorship flag bearer in the November election.
Senator representing Kogi West, Sen. Smart Adeyemi and other aspirants have insisted on the cancellation of the primary election that produced Ododo as winner.
The president gave his blessing when Yahaya Bello presented Ododo to him in the state house, Abuja.
Briefing newsmen after he was presented to the President, Ododo said he was committed to building on the unparalleled developmental strides of Governor Bello, which were achieved through inclusive governance, if elected in the forthcoming polls.
He said with his wealth of experience in the private and public financial sectors, as well as the opportunity of learning from Bello, who he described as a great leader to Kogites, he was well equipped to steer the ship of the confluence state in the desired direction.
The APC candidate said specifically that he was confident of APC’s victory in the November governorship election.
Ododo emerged the Kogi APC governorship candidate through a direct primary election on April 14 and was ratified through a special congress of the party on April 15.
On his part, Governor Yahaya Bello expressed delight in the capacity of the APC candidate to deliver even more wins for the party in the state and assured Kogi residents of continuity in the infrastructure renewal master-plan, which his administration had embarked upon for more than seven years.
He reiterated that the APC in Kogi State was one united family, noting that the party was very well positioned to win the next governorship election with a landslide.
President Buhari gave his unalloyed blessings to the APC candidate, while advising the party in Kogi State to embark on issue-based election campaign so as to ensure the party retains the state in the coming elections.