As the November 21 governorship election in
Kogi state draws closer, the people of the state
have begun drumming support for and against
the various contenders in line with defection
processes among top politicians.
Echocho
The cross-carpeting is evident as Today reports
that the first runner-up in the last Peoples
Democratic Party governorship primary in Kogi
state, Alhaji Jibrin Isa Echocho, and the son of
former governor of the state, Honourable
Mohammed Ibrahim Idris, on Thursday, October
8, defected to the All Progressives Congress in
Lokoja amidst cheers and jubilation.
Echocho, who was previously tipped to get the
PDP ticket from the incumbent governor of the
state, Idris Wada, had conceded defeat after the
party’s governorship primary election.
He had said that he still remained in the PDP
and expressed the hope that Wada had what it
takes to deliver the state to the former ruling
party when the general election holds in
November.
There had also been speculation that the former
PDP governorship aspirant was making plans to
join the Accord Party (AP) in order to achieve
his desire to run for the number one political
seat in the state.
But upon joining the APC, Echocho said that
they had given the PDP enough time to amend
certain internal crises but it failed. He added
that Audu’s coming was divine. He urged all
elders and youths in the state to support Audu
in the coming election.
Speaking during the reception however, the APC
governorship candidate and a two time governor
of the state, Prince Abubakar Audu, said that his
aim in coming back was to develop the state
and not to avenge any wrong. He added that he
would never victimise a Kogi citizen by using
the police or EFCC, as vengeance belongs to
God.
The governorship aspirant said that with the
departure of Echocho, the PDP is dead and
buried.
Audu noted that when he gets to the
governorship position he will do everything
humanly possible to resuscitate the Ajaokuta
Steel Company, including taking loans from the
capital market.
He stressed that by this move there would be
the need to put an end to the youth restiveness
in the state by creating the needed jobs for Kogi
youths.
The former commissioner for information,
Honourable Tom Oyekhire, also spoke asking
that the Ebiras should vote Audu as it is only
through the APC that the Ebira agenda could be
realised.
Others who also defected to the ruling APC are
a former Senate member, Dangana Ochaja, Tom
Zakari, Adamu Sani, Ada Zigo and some
immediate past council chairmen.
Meanwhile, there seems to be a high level of
preparation on the part of security agencies as
the inspector general of police, Solomon Arase,
vowed to deploy seven police officers to each of
the poling units across the state in order to
check electoral violence in the Kogi governorship
poll.
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