Hours after obtaining the N50 million All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship form for Kogi State, Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West) declared that he is the aspirant to beat and challenged his rivals to a public debate. Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in his Maitama, Abuja residence on Monday, Adeyemi argued that, for fairness and equity, Kogi West should be allowed to produce the next governor, noting that the other two zones have already occupied the position at different times.
Adeyemi claimed that among all the aspirants who have secured the APC expression of interest form for the governorship, he is the most qualified in terms of exposure and capacity to turn things around for the better in Kogi State, particularly regarding good governance and genuine development. He said, “I joined the Kogi guber race today with the procurement of the expression of interest form from our great party, APC. Some other aspirants have also collected the form, but I am the aspirant to beat as far as required support and goodwill across the state are concerned. I am the aspirant representing the Kogi people in the race while others are not, and based on this incontrovertible fact, I challenge other aspirants to a public debate where they would tell Kogites and, by extension, Nigerians what they have done for the people of Kogi State in the past and what they want to do now.”
He pointed to tangible achievements across the three senatorial districts—road construction, sinking of boreholes, provision of hospital beds and other health‑care facilities—as proof of his commitment. “My vision for Kogi State is total development‑driven transformation, being a state enormously endowed with solid minerals. People of Kogi State have no business with backwardness and poverty if the naturally endowed resources are well harnessed. Kogi State alone has 32 out of the 37 mineral resources in the country, which can be galvanized for wealth creation and development if I am elected governor,” he said.
Adeyemi also noted that other prominent figures have recently secured their nomination forms. The Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kogi State, Abdulkarim Asuku; Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Secretary for the APC presidential campaign council, James Faleke; the state Auditor General, Ahmed Ododo; and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Salami Ozigi‑Deedat, all obtained their forms last week. The latter two led hundreds of supporters to the party’s national headquarters in Abuja to purchase the N50 million forms.
Finally, Adeyemi urged political stakeholders in the state to vote for equity, fairness and justice, and to cede the governorship to Kogi West this time, since Kogi East and Central have already produced governors.
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