The Kogi State Chairman of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Kingsley Oga, and other members of the party across the three senatorial districts have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The ADC chieftains and members, on Friday, collapsed their entire structure into the APC and endorsed the party’s candidate, Usman Ododo, for the November 11 governorship election.
The only ADC State Assembly member, Hon. Idowu Ibikunle, representing Yagba West State Constituency at the Kogi State House of Assembly, also declared his support for the APC candidate, saying he would campaign widely for him despite being an ADC House of Assembly member.
Addressing party members during the defection on Friday, Oga affirmed his position as the state chairman of the ADC but noted that the ADC members in the state had decided to abandon the ADC candidate and work for Ododo.
According to him, among all the governorship candidates for the November 11 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, Usman Ododo, the APC candidate, is the most suitable for the seat.
He said a five-man committee was previously set up to assess all the candidates contesting, and that the committee’s report concluded that Ododo was the right candidate to vote for in the upcoming election.
He emphasised the need to consolidate on Governor Yahaya Bello’s sterling achievements across all sectors, noting that Ododo would continue from where he would stop.
The ADC Chairman commended Governor Bello for the remarkable achievements across the state during his seven-and-a-half-year tenure.
He also pointed out that, from what had been seen and heard about the APC gubernatorial candidate, he would undoubtedly perform well when he becomes the next governor of the state.
Hon. Idowu Ibikunlen, representing Yagba West State Constituency in the Kogi State House of Assembly, said he contested as an ADC candidate and won his election.
He added that, despite being a member of the ADC, he and his supporters had all decided to vote for the APC candidate in the governorship election.
All three senatorial chairpersons of the ADC also spoke, affirming their commitment to mobilising their people in the ADC to vote en masse for the APC candidate.
