Senator Smart Adeyemi has challenged his fellow contenders to a public debate, declaring that he is the aspirant to beat in the Kogi state Gubernatorial race.
Senator Adeyemi who made the declaration at an interactive session with journalists on Monday, after obtaining the APC Governorship form, said for fairness and equity, Kogi West should be allowed to produce the next governor of the State since the two other zones have occupied the position at different times.
According to him, of all the aspirants that had obtained expression of interest form of the APC for the governorship position, he is the most qualified in terms of exposure and wherewithal to ensure good governance and genuine development in the north central Nigerian state.
The Kogi state Governorship election is one of the off season elections in Nigeria, and it’s scheduled to hold by the end of 2023, months after the general election.
Meanwhile, the Chief of Staff to Governor of Kogi State, Mr. Abdulkarim Asuku, and Mr. James Faleke; a member of the House of Representatives, are among the top contenders who had obtained their forms last week.
However, Senator Adeyemi believes that he is the aspirant to beat as far as required goodwill and supports from Kogi indigenes across the three senatorial districts are concerned.
“I joined the Kogi Guber race today with procurement of expression of interest form from our great party, APC”, he said.
“Some other aspirants have also collected the form but I am the aspirant to beat as far as required supports and goodwill across the state are concerned.
“I am the aspirant representing the Kogi people in the race while others are not and on the basis of this incontrovertible fact, I challenged other aspirants to public debate where they should tell Kogites and by extension Nigerians, what they have done for people of Kogi State in the past and what they want to do now.
“As for me, the evidence of such are all over the various communities across the three senatorial districts in the State like road construction, sinking of boreholes, provision of Hospital beds and other health care delivery facilities across the three senatorial zones.
Total Development
Senator Adeyemi stated that his 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 are going to be galvanized for wealth creation and development in the state if elected as governor”.
Senator Adeyemi added that the various political stakeholders in the State, should for the purpose of equity, fairness and justice, cede the governorship position to Kogi West this time around since Kogi East and Central have produced governors.
N.O
