By Felix Otaru
The Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Aliyu Umar Yusuf has congratulated the State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo over his victory at the State Election Petition Tribunal.
This is contained in a statement signed and made available to the media by the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker, Yabagi Mohammed.
The Speaker, in the statement, described the judgement delivered by the Chairman of the Tribunal as a thorough and fitting one in view of the soundness and judicial fluency contained in it.
According to the Speaker, long before the judgement was delivered, unbiased legal practitioners had always maintained that the opposition lacked necessary case to upturn the result, stressing that as a responsible government, it is always good to allow opposing parties the opportunity to have their day in court, which Governor Ododo has done.
Rt Hon Umar was however quick to add that the support enjoyed by the APC in the November 11 election in the state was so overwhelming that it was impossible for the ruling party to lose.
“It was obvious from the primaries to the campaigns and the election proper that the only candidate that was seriously contesting was Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo. Others were just playing to the gallery and using their candidature to negotiate for their political future. I said this during the campaigns.
“Check the governorship election result. APC was the only party that won votes across the three senatorial districts of the state, other parties played ethnic cards and recorded their votes on the basis of ethnic politics. So, it is no surprise that the people of Kogi State voted overwhelmingly for Governor Ododo.”
The Speaker used the occasion to call on leaders of the opposition parties in the state and their supporters to bury the hatchet, swallow their pride and come and work with the present administration for the development of Kogi State.
He said ethnic politics is inimical to the state, noting that the result of the election had shown that no one ethnic group can independently win the governorship seat of the state anymore.
The Lawmaker also congratulated and thanked APC supporters for their courage in the face of intimidation and blackmail and promised that Governor Ododo would not disappoint the state.
