The competition for the governorship of Kogi State has officially begun and friends and associates of Smart Adeyemi, the current senator representing Kogi West, have urged him to run for the position. The group, which comprises supporters from across the three senatorial districts of the state, presented a bank draft of fifty million naira to the senator to help him purchase the nomination forms, which went on sale on Friday.
During the presentation of the draft, the group expressed their commitment to mobilizing support for Adeyemi to ensure his victory. So far, ten aspirants have shown interest in running for the governorship position on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC).
A statement released by the senator’s media office and signed by Adeleye Oluwafemi, a Special Adviser to Adeyemi, disclosed that the presentation took place on Sunday at the senator’s Abuja residence. The statement read in part, “Today, the 19th of February, 2023, at the Maitama residence of Distinguished Senator Smart Adeyemi (CON), friends and associates of Senator Smart Adeyemi across Kogi State in Abuja, called on him to run for the gubernatorial race, equally raised fund to purchase the governorship form and promise to galvanise support across the entire state for him.”
The group’s endorsement of Adeyemi was based on several factors, including his courage, experience, exposure, vision, patriotism, detrabalized nature, oratory prowess, maturity, passion, and delivery capacity. They also praised his achievements across the three senatorial districts of Kogi State and his quality representation at the floor of the Senate.
Fifty of the senator’s friends and associates contributed to the fund and made the formal donation of fifty million naira on behalf of others. The bank draft was procured on February 17, 2023, but could not be presented to the senator earlier as he was away on the APC presidential campaign in Maiduguri, Borno State.
In response to the group’s endorsement, Adeyemi expressed his gratitude for their unanimous decision and urged them to vote for Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettima, and other APC candidates in the forthcoming election. He described Tinubu and Shettima as personalities of intellectual capacity, track record, and impeccable character, adding that they were the best combination to move Nigeria to another level of progress and prosperity.
The meeting had in attendance supporters from different senatorial districts of Kogi State, including Nathaniel Taiwo, Ben Owoleke, Ade Olamife, Akin Akinola, Omale Isaiah, Mr Dan Ameh, Mr Philip Omale, Chief Sule Ebira, and Ahmed Yinusa, among others. The group’s endorsement and financial contribution have boosted Adeyemi’s chances of clinching the APC’s governorship ticket and winning the election.
