By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
Ahead of the October 19, 2024 local government council elections in Kogi State, the All Progressives Congress (APC), members in Lokoja LGA on Wednesday turned out en masse to show overwhelming solidarity and support for the party, at its official campaign flag off at Up Garage in Lokoja on Wednesday.
In a carnival-like atmosphere, supporters of the party across the different communities and Wards in the LGA numbering thousands, stretched beyond the popular Old Market to Maigari Palace, pledging to stand with all the candidates of the party at the polls.
Hailing the people for pouring out in huge numbers to identify with the party, the visibly jubilant local government Chairman of the Party, Alhaji Maikudi Bature, said the presence of the mammoth crowd showed that the APC was on ground, alive and safe in the area.
The chairman attributed the support to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s leadership prowess which he said has enthroned the atmosphere of peace, prompt payment of workers’ salaries and other emoluments, his landmark achievements in rural development and the quality of candidates the party is parading for the elections.
Bature, who described Comrade Abdullahi Adamu, the Chairmanship candidate of the party, as a man with the capacity to deliver on the people’s mandate having carved a niche for himself in the local government administration, added that the Chairmanship hopeful had already toured the 10 wards where he had direct discussions with the people at various town-hall meetings.
Delivering his speech, APC leader for Lokoja/Kogi LGAs, Alhaji Sulaiman Baba-Ali, who said that the intimidating crowd which came out to welcome the APC was
a strong message that the state was comfortable with the APC, noted that the dividends of democracy the governor had brought to the state made it possible for them to embrace the party.
Baba-Ali insisted that APC would clear all the polling units in the LGA because of their walk-the-talk policy of grassroots mobilisation, saying the campaign council will get the work done and deliver huge victory.
He further expressed faith in Comrade Abdullahi Adamu’s capability to move the LGA to greater heights through economic transformation and efficient service delivery.
On his part, the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Aliyu Umar Yusuf, stressed that the state has remained one of the most peaceful and investors-friendly over the years, saying it was possible because of Governor Ododo’s inclusive economic development, massive infrastructure, robust education leading to the state emerging the best in the recent results released by the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC).
He also stated that the people understood and appreciated the significant of the good governance the party had brought in the last 9 years which spurred them to troop out to express their readiness to renew the mandate given to the party.
In his own remarks, the Lokoja local government chairmanship candidate of the APC, Comrade Abdullahi Adamu, expressed his appreciation to all that come to grace the occasion, promising that he will not let them down.
According to him, his administration will build on the existing infrastructure, grow the economy seven-fold, create hundreds of job opportunities for the teeming youths, attract healthy investments and steer the LGA out of the parlous national economy if and when elected chairman.
He urged them to vote for all the candidates of the APC in the October 19 elections.
Appreciating the people for always queuing behind the APC, Hon. Haruna Isa, former House of Representatives member expressed delight in the reaffirmation of the electorate that they would still vote for the APC again.
Meanwhile, leaders of the opposition parties in the LGA who attended the flag off ceremony collapsed their parties’ support base, pledging to work for Comrade Abdullahi Adamu and the ten councilorship candidates.
While adopting the APC candidates as their preferred candidates, the opposition parties under the aegis of Coalition of Registered Political Parties and led by Hon. Farouk Bakabe of the ADC, and one time House of Assembly candidate for Lokoja 1 state constituency said they were at the event to renew their partnership with the ruling party.
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