There is always a time or season in the life of a man to take a bold decision that will reshape and usher in a positive change in his life pattern for better. As a people from Kogi State, it is another governorship election year which also gives another great opportunity to all to scout round for a personified individual to govern the State.
It is in the public domain that the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Governor of Kogi State on Special Projects, Hon. Ibrahim G. Itodo anchored a dialogue meeting with four registered political parties under the aegis of the United Progressive Political Parties {UPPP} Kogi State chapter to solicit their support for Alhaji Usman Ododo. At a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists [NUJ] Press Center Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, a historical decision was taken by the group to throw its weight and support towards the candidacy of Alhaji Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 11th, 2023 governorship election.
At the conference, the forward-looking and workaholic Senior Special Assistant, told journalists that he held a meeting with some representatives of four political parties under the aegis of United Progressive Political Party (UPPP) namely; Action Democratic Party {ADP], African People’s Party [APP], National Rescue Movement [NRM] and Zenith Labour Party [ZLP] the group collectively and openly agreed to endorse Alhaji Usman Ododo of the APC as well as other political parties cum some individual bigwigs from other parties have shown interest to join the UPPP to endorse Ododo, as there are others whose identities will be revealed very soon, when discussions are finalized. The doors are widely opened for further dialogue because politics is local and the candidate of APC is opened to negotiations. According to the group, Kogi State is aggressively in need of a progressive leader whose objective is to hit the ground running as soon as he is sworn-in. As the state is looking forward to elect a new governor after the expiration of the tenure of Governor Yahaya Bello in January 2024, the people of Kogi State are set to elect a successor to take over from him. The fact is that, there are several candidates jostling for the exalted position but only one of them, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, eminently qualify for the position.
The United Progressive Political Parties is an offshoot of political parties that focuses strictly on progressive democratic development and not divisive policies. The UPPP is in the fore-front to woo other political parties to partner with Alhaji Usman Ododo of the APC to fashion out the best strategies to consolidate on the achievements of the out-going governor of the state, His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
It is interesting to note that the members of the United Progressive Political Parties [UPPP] in Kogi State collectively profiled all governorship candidates and carefully investigated them and arrived at a conclusion to align with the candidate of the All Progressives Congress [APC] Alhaji Usman Ododo for the November 11th 2023 governorship election. After considering and juxtaposing various variables open to the members of the United Progressives Political Parties (UPPP), they resolved to settle for the candidacy of Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo who is running for the governorship position in the State. They said, they have settled for the APC candidate “because of his track records, he is someone who has been schooled and mentored under Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration and has also travelled the length and breadth of Kogi State and therefore, he is not new to the intricacies of leadership or governance in the New Direction Agenda of Alhaji Yahaya Bello. We in UPPP, have always maintained that no candidates of any political party will be supported to rule Kogi state again without proper mentorship because instead of moving forward such a person will start learning on the job.”
The group said their encounter with Alhaji Ododo, “changed the perception we had on him, the man is humility personified, he knows exactly what he wants to do especially as a product of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, a man properly mentored, processed and who believes that leadership is ordained by God Almighty.” Politics is “who get what, when, and how” by Prof. Laswel, the candidate of APC Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo knows the importance of inclusiveness in politics and this was clearly spelt out during the meeting, it’s on this, the group called on all political parties that mean well for Kogi State to join APC in the Nov 11th Governorship election to give victory to the party.
The members of the United Progressive Political Parties have analysed the chances of APC and its candidate as well as the structure of APC which were also critically examined and they discovered that the only political party well-grounded in terms of capacity, competence and commitment to win an election any day in the present Kogi State is the All Progressives Congress (APC). The group said Alhaji Ododo has the needed pre-requisites, attributes and political leadership qualities to lead the State to the next stage of its development. According to the group, “all the political parties mentioned above have jointly agreed to endorse Ododo for the 11th November governorship election, because of his contributions to humanity”.
The group said, it has not been influenced by any selfish or parochial interest but rather by the collective interest of Kogites to arrive at this historical decision. The group urged all their members to do the needful to canvass and support Alhaji Ododo.
The group assured Kogites that the next dispensation would not witness winner take all syndrome that has created hatred and agitations. The UPPP will push for a united Kogi State, where all Kogites shall enjoy dividends of democracy under Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo’s leadership by the grace of God, Hon. Itodo urged Kogites to work together for the future of the State of our dream.
One of the resolutions of the four political parties is the need to encourage and collaborate with one another to find ways to resolve political issues, which is capable to resolve political agitations and disagreements over elections issues. Hon. Ibrahim Itodo personally appealed to other political parties to shun politics of bitterness, religious bigotry, ethnicity and sectionalism and come together as a pressure group if they desire to advance the course of democracy where development and peace would prevail.
Hon. Itodo said, “as seasoned politicians in the state, the group knows the pedigree, capacity and competence of all the candidates standing for various political parties, the choice of Alhaji Usman Ododo is based on his humility, dexterity and doggedness in his ability to face the realities of governance where the poorest of the poor would be given a role to participate”.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor went further to say he has the good understanding of the goal of Ododo’s administration come 2024 is to create a new Kogi State that values hard-work, self-actualization rather than dependency.
The administration aims at creating Kogi State that Kogites can be proud to belong and grateful to inhabit, a State that promotes self-reliance, entrepreneurship, innovation, rewards hard-work, protects its people and their property, and offers its children better prospects than those they may want to seek in Europe, and North America.
Hon. Itodo said, the UPPP is ever ready to ensure massive mobilization of their entire members to support this young man whose time has come to move the entire State to the path of development. He appealed to Kogites to go out and vote en mass for the candidate of the APC, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, in the upcoming gubernatorial election in the State. According to Hon. Itodo, the leadership of Alhaji Ododo is out to consolidate and rebuild Kogi State, a State that would endure and grow exceedingly.