Hours after obtaining the N50m All Progressives Congress governorship form for Kogi State, Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West), declared that he was the aspirant to beat by challenging others for a public debate.
Adeyemi who made the declaration at an interactive session with journalists in his Maitama Abuja residence on Monday said for fairness and equity, Kogi West should be allowed to produce the next governor of the state since the other two zones, had occupied the position at different times.
According to him, of all the aspirants that had obtained the expression of interest form of the APC for the governorship position, he was the most qualified in terms of exposure and wherewithal of turning things around for the better in Kogi State as far as good governance and genuine development are concerned.
The Chief of Staff to the Governor of Kogi State, Abdulkarim Asuku, Chairman of the House Committee on Finance and Secretary for the APC presidential campaign council, James Faleke, had at the beginning of the sale of forms for the position by the APC, obtained theirs last week.
Also, the state Auditor General, Ahmed Ododo, and Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Salami Ozigi-Deedat, recently picked up their nomination and expression of interest forms.
The duo led hundreds of their supporters to the national headquarters of the party in Abuja to buy the N50m forms.
But Adeyemi said that he had the strong conviction that he was the aspirant to beat as far as required goodwill and support from Kogi indigenes across the three senatorial districts were concerned.
He said, “I joined the Kogi guber race today with the procurement of expression of interest form from our great party, APC.
“Some other aspirants have also collected the form but I am the aspirant to beat as far as required support and goodwill across the state are concerned.
“I am the aspirant representing the Kogi people in the race while others are not and based on this incontrovertible fact, I challenge other aspirants to a public debate where they would 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.”
Adeyemi added, “As for me, the proofs 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.
“My 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 galvanised for wealth creation and development in the state if elected as governor. ”
Adeyemi added that the various political stakeholders in the state, should vote for equity, fairness and justice, and cede the governorship position to Kogi West this time around since Kogi East and Central had produced governors.
