The Kogi All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate, Usman Ododo, has announced a primary school teacher, Salifu Joel, as his running mate for the November 11 gubernatorial election.
It is noteworthy that Mr. Joel is the current Chairman of Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, and the Treasurer of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, in Kogi State.
At the event, which was held at the Government House, the state governor, Yahaya Bello, revealed that the choice of Mr. Joel, a class teacher and a unionist as the deputy governorship candidate of the APC, was based on the party’s strong desire to carry everyone along in its quest for the development of the state.
Mr. Bello, who aims to ensure that the APC wins the November 11th gubernatorial election in the state, said that his administration has performed commendably well in the areas of providing infrastructure, quality education, and healthcare delivery, among others. He stated that the party will follow and abide by all existing electoral laws to win the forthcoming election.
“In this dispensation, we cannot accept any politics of bitterness nor condone any act of political violence because Kogi as a state is greater than any personal interest. We do not believe in politics of ethnicity or religion and will not tolerate any comments that may cause trouble later on,” he warned.
The chairman of the state’s APC, Abdullahi Bello, congratulated the party’s gubernatorial candidate and his running mate, and commended the governor for leading the party well.
Mr. Joel expressed his delight at being nominated as the deputy governorship candidate, considering his position as a classroom teacher. In his words: “When I was first approached, from the bottom of my heart, I joyfully and heartily accepted the position because it is divine. I wish to assure that I will do all I can to ensure that our party becomes victorious in the forthcoming governorship election.”
In their goodwill messages, the National President of TUC, Audu Anaba; Kogi NLC Chairman, Gabriel Amari, and the immediate past NLC Chairman, Edoka Onu, praised the governor for selecting a member of the labor unions as Ododo’s running mate. They pledged their total support to mobilise votes for the Ododo/Joel ticket to emerge as the next Governor and Deputy Governor of Kogi State.
NAN
