The former Auditor General for Local Governments in Kogi State, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has won the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial primary election held in the State on Friday.
Ododo, who scored a total of 78,704 votes, won the direct primary election with a wide margin to defeat six other contestants in the governorship race.
About seven other aspirants including the state’s deputy governor, Edward Onoja, Governor Yahaya Bello’s Chief of Staff, Pharm. Mohammed Asuku, had earlier withdrawn from the gubernatorial race on the eve of the primary election.
Ododo, defeated a fellow Egbira man the Barr. Mohammed Ozigi Salami, who scored 1,506 votes while the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Smart Adeyemi, scored the least number of votes – 311.
The secretary of the Kogi State APC Primary Election Committee, Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon, on behalf of the chairman of the panel, Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, announced the results and declared Mr. Ahmed Usman Ododo as the winner of the gubernatorial primary election.
Declaring the winner of the election, Obahiagbon said the election was conducted in the 21 local government areas of the state and the result have been collated peacefully from all the returning officers in charged of the election.
He said, “By the power conferred on the committee by virtue of Article 19 of the APC guidelines for the nomination of candidate for general election 2003, I Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon, Secretary of Election Committee Kogi State on behalf of the Chairman of the Committee, Governor Bello Matawale of Zamfara State hereby declared that Ahmed Usman Ododo, having scored the majority of lawful votes cast at the direct primary election conducted on the 14th day of April , 2023 in Kogi State is hereby declared as winner of the APC Kogi state primary election.
“He (Ahmed Usman Ododo) hereby return as the duly elected governorship candidate of APC for the November 2023 governorship election.”
Earlier, Ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary in Kogi State scheduled for Friday, the Deputy Governor, Edward Onoja; and the Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello, Mohammed Asuku have withdrawn from the race.
This was announced at a stakeholders’ meeting held on Thursday at the party secretariat in Lokoja, the state capital.
The meeting was hosted by Governor Yahaya Bello, who unveiled his preferred candidate in the person of the Auditor General of the state, Ahmed Ododo.
Meanwhile, Onoja and Asuku announced their withdrawal from the governorship race via their respective verified Facebook pages shortly after the meeting in Lokoja.
The deputy governor, whom many had thought will succeed Bello before now, posted a cryptic message on his Facebook, which reads: “To God be the glory for life and divine health. My appreciation to my leader, HE Alhaji Yahaya Bello, and all my supporters for your love and prayers. Let love, patience, and perseverance lead. I am forever grateful.”
On his part, Asuku, who was also seen as a frontrunner because of his closeness to the governor, posted, “I sincerely appreciate His Excellency, my benefactor, for all that Allah has been using him to do in my life.
“As such, I hereby submit myself publicly to the decision taken today and I will forever live to remain loyal and dedicated to the decision of my party as I enjoin all my well wishers to work with us for our great party APC to become victorious in the November 11th General Election.”
In a similar development, other aspirants like David Jimoh, Ashiru Idris, Okala Yakubu, and Momoh Jubril have also withdrawn from the race.
However, the Chairman of the primary committee and Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawale said that all other aspirants who have not withdrawn from the race are free to participate in Friday’s primary to be held across the state.
