The large turnout at Saturday’s launch of the Kogi governorship election campaign of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appeared to have excited the main opposition party to no end.
Reports had indicated apprehension on the part of some key chieftains of the party over possible attack by rival parties during the campaign, forcing the leadership of the party to embark on the rally with caution.
It was gathered that many of its key chieftains had initially stayed away to await field reports before proceeding to the Lokoja Stadium, venue of the event. The anticipated violent attack did not occur.
The elated PDP, in a statement yesterday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the “unprecedented crowd” that surged at the official launch of its campaign despite threats of violence by the All Progressives Congress (APC), was a resounding declaration by the people that nothing would stop them from kicking Governor Yahaya Bello out of office on November 16.
“The crowd is also an unmistaken demonstration of the fact that Kogi remains a home to the PDP, which will further manifest in PDP’s landslide victory at the November 16 election.
“The party notes that the earthshaking jubilation and ovations that greeted the PDP candidate, Musa Wada and his running mate, Sam Aro, established the people’s confidence and preference for the PDP and its candidate, over and above Yahaya Bello, who has failed them on all fronts.
“The PDP has been made aware of the gloom, hopelessness and dejection in the Bello camp, which is depleting by the day, following Wada’s soaring popularity and acceptability across the voting demography across Kogi State.
“Yahaya Bello is gradually coming to terms with the fact that he will soon find himself standing alone to face his inevitable prize for failure and disdain for the people of Kogi State.
“Governor Bello now knows that the people of Kogi State cannot be intimidated by threats of violence, neither can they be bought, enticed or beguiled with filthy offers. They have since made up their minds to repay Bello in his own coin for the pain and anguish he inflicted on them in the last four years and nothing can change this resolve,” the PDP said.
The main opposition party said voting Governor Bello out of office remained paramount to the Kogi people, to be replaced will a “purposeful, people-oriented and transparent administration” of its own candidate, Musa Wada.
The party commended the people for what it described as their unity, resilience and courage in the face of “machinations, threats, assaults and manipulations by the sinking Yahaya Bello and the APC”.
It also hailed the “patriotism” of members of the APC that have crossed over to the PDP in the last few weeks, “having realised that the liberation and re-positioning of Kogi State in the interest of the people can only be attained through the PDP and Wada.”
The PDP urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security forces to “resist the shenanigans of the APC and remain on the side of truth and fairness as the people will never accept any process that does not reflect their will and aspiration in this election.”
Also speaking in a similar vein, the Director General of the Wada Campaign Organisation, Mr. Tajudeen Yusuf, said the large turnout was an indication of assurance of the party’s victory in the coming election.
Yusuf, in a separate statement yesterday, said: “We thank all our grassroots activists, party leaders at ward, local, state and national levels for the success of the launch of our campaign towards putting Engineer Musa Wada and Hon Sam Aro in Lugard House and re-electing Senator Dino Melaye as senator for Kogi West Senatorial District.
“While we thank all discerning citizens across Nigeria who have unreservedly expressed support for ending the nightmarish transgressions against democracy, lack of infrastructural development, impoverishment of civil servants and the rudderless ineptitude which has drawn Kogi State backwards; we emphatically thank PDP leaders whose collective support facilitated the success of our launch of campaign on Saturday.”
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