Kogi: 25 parties endorse Bello, withdraw from guber race

A month to the Kogi state governorship election, a coalition of 25 registered political parties have withdrawn from the contest and declared their support for Governor Yahaya Bello and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Leaders of the coalition of parties led by Alhaji Sani Teidi, candidate of the Young Democratic Party (YDP), who addressed a press conference on Wednesday at the NUJ Press Centre, Lokoja, said their decision is borne out of patriotism and in the interest of the state.

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According to the spokesman of the coalition, Alhaji Teidi, the achievements of Gov. Bello in the three and a half years he has governed the state necessitated his going for a second term for him to continue his good works.

Teidi, a former director at the National Pension Commission, said “we have objectively analysed all the parties and candidates contesting the 2019 governorship election and have realised that Gov. Yahaya Bello is head and shoulders above the rest.”

Justifying their actions, the coalition leaders attest to the fact that Gov. Bello in his first tenure provided effective governance in various indices of development and has proved to be the best “as he has done the most in our history to eliminate ethnic, religious and class differences among our people.”

They commended their former opponent in the race “as a tireless fighter against discrimination and injustice,” which they believe has brought about policies of inclusion and proportional distribution of appointments and projects among all the constituencies in the state.

The coalition sent a warning to politicians in the state who engage in the campaign of ethnicity to desist as such negative activity will not auger well for the people, but however, admonished all political parties to play the game according to the rules before, during and after the election.

While appealing to Gov. Bello to see their endorsement as an opportunity to provide more transformation in leadership to the state and not as a victory over the opposition, also called on the citizens to consider the overall interests of the state as paramount above all other primordial sentiments by voting wisely.

In his remarks after the press conference, former Chief of Staff to Gov. Bello, Edward Onoja hailed the gallantry of the coalition for voluntarily stepping down and endorsing the incumbent.

Onoja, who is the running mate of the APC candidate, disclosed that 12 parties with their candidates stepped down, 18 other parties withdrew from the race while 12 others have no candidates. He thanked them for opting for the APC instead of other parties.

He called on the people of the state to ignore the dying Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), party he described as a hegemony and family affair.

Among the coalition of parties that endorsed the APC candidate are Accord Party, AD, AAC, Green Party of Nigeria, Justice Must Prevail Party, Hope Democratic Party and the National Conscience Party.

Others are People Party of Nigeria, Peoples Progressive Party, Young Democratic Party, Zenith Labour Party and Peoples Redemption Party among others.