I have no anointed candidate, says Bello

Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has assured the members and aspirants seeking for various elective positions on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) that he has no ‘anointed’ candidate ahead of the party primaries.

The party in the state has meanwhile adopted the indirect method of conduct of primary election to elect candidates ahead of the forthcoming general elections.

At the APC stakeholders’ meeting held at the government house on Wednesday in Lokoja, to discuss and resolve on the method to adopt for the primaries, Governor Bello reaffirmed that he is for all the aspirants vying for various elective positions under the APC, saying whoever emerges at the primaries will be the party’s candidate.

He assured that the party will sponsor all the candidates for the general election to ensure that APC wins the contestable positions.

His words: “I have never anointed any aspirant for any position. Forms are already on sale, any interested member of the party willing to contest elective position on the platform of the APC in Kogi State, should go and buy their forms. The party will create a level playing ground for all the aspirants so that we can achieve our set objectives”.

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He cautioned the party executives against collecting money from aspirants in the name of rendering assistance to them, warning that whoever indulge in such act will be sanctioned.

According to him, the era of extorting aspirants is over.

“We will sanction anybody who go against this warning; whoever caught will face the full wrath of the law, no matter who she or he is in the party”, he warned.

The state chairman of the APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello, said the aim of the meeting was to allow members and stakeholders choose one of the suitable options for the conduct of primaries.

He noted that APC in Kogi state has adopted indirect primaries, describing the option as cheap, credible and easy to conduct.

He commended the governor for his support that led to the success of the party at the recently conducted bye-election into Lokoja/Kogi Koton-Karfe federal constituency.

The Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Matthew Kolawole, said that direct primary can only throw the party into concussion, adding that the indirect primary is appropriate for the party in the state base on the political environment.

He therefore moved for the adoption of indirect primary election in Kogi APC, which was unanimously accepted by the members and stakeholders of the party.

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