Why it has to be Yahaya Bello

The echoes of these words reiterated profoundly in various shapes and forms in the recent governorship election in Kogi state. The act of fate has greatly manifested in the entire election that the whole state will not forget in a hurry. It is an established fact that of all the factors that determine leadership anywhere […]

The echoes of these words reiterated profoundly in various shapes and forms in the recent governorship election in Kogi state.
The act of fate has greatly manifested in the entire election that the whole state will not forget in a hurry.
It is an established fact that of all the factors that determine leadership anywhere in the World, the act of God seems the most potent. Though, instructive and dramatic, the Almighty God finally had its way in the final outcome.
The pronouncement by the INEC that the election was inconclusive couple with the sudden death of the governorship candidate of the APC, Abubakar Audu, combined to further heightened the already tensed political atmosphere in the state. But wisdom, rationality and legality have prevailed over emotions and political considerations.
All the contestants for the governorship position were eminently qualified and the final endorsement of Aihaji Yahaya Bello by the party to me does not in anyway diminish or subsumed the status of other contestants it merely suggest that we submitted to the Supreme will of God; that we are United as a party and posses the capacity to resolve our challenges and differences amicably.
Aside the God’s factor that was glaringly in favour of Yahaya Bello from the timing and the way our leader, Audu was called to eternity by the almighty, the most legal thing to do at the time was to endorse Yahaya Bello since he was the runner up to prince Abubakar Audu at the primary. Since no one can be sworn in as Governor without passing through the primary.
We are aware of the many issues the choice of Bello have generated especially from the supporters of our brother Hon. James Abiodun Fakeke , but we must move beyond the contradictions as a family and face the future together as one big party.
The choice of Yahaya Bello was collective and no primordial sentiment like religion was considered as it is being rumored. The APC belive in justice and fairplay and these are some of the values we promote and strive to transmit to governance.and the entire society.
Justice, unity, peaceable legality were the driving forces behind the Party’s response to that constitutional lacuna and its effects.
Since the constitution did not anticipate what happened, our leaders responded to it realistically and adequately.
As loyal and dedicated members of the APC, we must trust the judgement of our leaders and be faithful to our course The choice of Yahaya was also in response to the decisions of the delegates and up to now there has not been any allegations of manipulations at the primary election.
All the members were screened by our party and Audu came first while Yahaya was the runner up . The first and the second were duly elected by the 3,458 delegates.
The party was guided by their choices and decisions of the delegates and With their decisions, come the realistic endorsement of Bello after the demise of Audu.
In any contest as competitive and difficult as this, there must be a winner and this is not an exception to the general rule. We don’t want the camp of Faleke to see this as a defeat or sign of weaknesses. They must also not feel disappointed, but we must move beyond forward and work together to get our state moving.
We believe that the death of our leader, Audu is still fresh in our memory and we must not be seen to be fighting over the governorship seat in a manner that is bereft of morals. Governance is about service and we must be contented with whatever role that God has assigned to us .
We set out to elect a Governor that would be a reflection of the genuine and collective expectation of our people.
It was an opportunity for the people again to showcase their genuine patriotism and modest contributions to the greatness of our dear state. A state that has greatly suffered the dearth of quality leadership and governance.
To usher in new hope of a greater governance in the state and a new hope of a prosperous future found in a new leadership and a new party that is laden with vision.
The challenges ahead of our dear state are onerous, and the hope is for a new dawn.
The election in Kogi State has come and gone and the people have spoken and they have spoken very clearly and we must respect the wishes of the people. No election in the world has ever been perfect, and the Kogi election was not an exception.
Many have felt aggrieved, and they have the right to be, but must pursue their grievances within the confine of the law.
The election and future elections will continue to enrich our history and cultural heritage until we become a civilization.
I am particularly humbled by the final outcome of the whole process. It is something that calls for a deeper reflection.
We must be more determined and willing to partner with Yahaya Bello to bring about the change we need in Kogi State.
Whatever the approaches to the victory and whatever our differences, we are fellow Kogites. It was a friendly match and no winner no vanquished  some especially the Aufu/Faleke camp had wished the outcome had been different and favourable. Man proposes but God disposes.
The road had been very difficult from the outset with 22 candidates from 22 parties and no one if them made it. There were many tricks, lies, propaganda, unfounded stories, unguided press statements, blackmails and drawback and many others that were bereft of things expected in modern campaign in a bid to outsmart one another, still God had His way.
God has once again proven that political adventurism is not always correlated with wealth, propaganda, personal egoism, tripping and myopic megalomania. It is all about God.
In every contest, there must be a winner. This election was not an exception to the general rule. Let no one therefore see this defeat as a sign of weaknesses. Sometimes defeat can even go as far as victory.
It is also natural for many in the other camp to feel some disappointment. We must move beyond it and work together to get our state moving  again.
Dayo Thomos is an Abuja based Journalist