Ahead of the October 19 Local government council election, the All Progressive Congress (APC), on Thursday, flagged off election campaign.
A crowd of party enthusiasts gathered at the modern Muhammad Buhair Civil Center in Lokoja, the state capital, to mark the commencement of the APC campaign for the upcoming local government elections.
Kogi state Governor, Ahmed Ododo in his speech promised to ensure a level playing field for the participating political parties, by ensuring adequate security.
He said his administration has laid the foundation for the victory of his party by touching the lives of the people positively
While commending President Bola Tinubu for making security top priority of his administration which said accounted for the peace being enjoyed in Kogi, the governor assured that the election will not only be peaceful but free, fair and transparent
He appealed to the people to support the president in his drive to reposition the economy of the country, saying that the president meant well for the nation, assuring that the people will soon continue to see the dividends of his efforts, adding that the hardship being experience now will soon be a thing of the past.
Speaking further he told APC members and support to to out on October 19 to cast their votes for APC, saying that the meant well for the people and will continue deliver dividends of democracy to them.
“The party cares about the welfare of the people of the state. I urged you therefore to work for the candidates that will utilize your resources to work for you and those are the candidates of our party the APC.
“The mandate given to me as Governor his is to work for the benefits of the people and not about noice making. I and my team will continue to do that without making noise about it.
“We have been able to intervene in the provision of quality and adequate health for our people, improved infrastructure, investment in education, youth employment and women empowerment, which he said will form the basis of the APC campaign.”
He noted that his appointment of more aides was borne out of his believe that the resources of the state must not be concentrated in one person, that will not even reach out to the people in the name Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants, but rather to integrate others so that more people could be reached.
He however urged the people of the state not to be intimidated by anyone, but to go out boldly to cast their votes for the candidates of the APC.
He thanked the people of the state for their support which he said was largely responsible for the successes recorded by his administration, saying that he will not disappoint them.
The chairman of APC in the state in his welcome address advised members of the party and supporters to engage in door to door campaign to ganner more support for the candidates of the party
He assured that the party is going to win all the chairmanships positions, because the party has done well in the state.
The representatives of the three districts, Ibrahim Ahovi, Kogi Central, Matthew Kolawole, Kogi west and Hon. Comfort Egwuaba in their various speeches assured that the votes from their areas will be total, saying there are no opposition anywhere in the state again
Egwuaba, particularly noted that, women inclusion, the emergence of women as vice chairmen in the all the councils, five councillorship positions in each council areas for women and more women inclusion in the administration of Governor Ododo has made the campaign easy for them.
Earlier, the chairman of the chairman of the APC local government campaign committee, Prof. Salisu Ogbo Usman noted that the governor has simplified their job by over 90% with his impressive performance in office as Governor.
Usman who scored the Governor high in agriculture, infrastructural development, payment of salary to both state and LG workers, added that this is also another campaign point for the committee.
The high point of the occasion is the presentation of flags to the 21 chairmanship candidates of the party and the defection of Arct. Salman Idris, member representing Kabba/ Bunu Federal constituency in the national Assembly, who defected to the APC from the, Africa Democratic Congress, (ADC), along side his supporters. He was thereafter presented with the party flag and the broom which the governor said is the symbol of the APC.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM TheWitness
Rift deepens among PDP governors over Damagum
