Kogi Guber Race: Oshiohmole, Gov Bello Storm Aso Rock
BY VICTOR BUORO, ABUJA – Ahead of the November 16, 2019 governorship election in Kogi State, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiohmole and Governor Yahaya Bello on Friday stormed the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
In what political watchers described as ‘high wired’ consultations with President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC National Chairman, accompanied by Governor Bello of Kogi, arrived the Villa at about 3:30 p.m and went straight to the president’s office for a closed door meeting.
Insiders at the APC’s National Secretariat hinted that the duo’s visit is an important element in Governor Bello’s re-election campaign programme, having secured the ticket to fly the party’s flag in the November polls.
“The usual practice is for the National Chairman to formally present him (Governor Bello) as the party’s flag-bearer in Kogi State to Mr President who is the de facto APC leader in the country.
“I can also tell you that the APC leadership has declared that retaining and keeping Kogi state under the broom’s control is a task that must be done in spite of all the odds against Governor Bello.
“With that important aspect now taken care of, the next plan of action is strategizing on how to assuage frayed nerves, arising from the party’s primaries and bringing everyone on board for a successful outing in the gubernatorial race”, one of the insider told Forefront in Abuja.
However, it was all mum at the Presidency as the meeting agenda between the President and his visitors were kept under wraps by officials.
But our sources hinted that for the APC National Chairman, meeting the President may well have been the proverbial “killing of two birds with one stone”.
“Aside the formal presentation of Bello as APC gubernatorial candidate in Kogi state, Comrade Oshiomhole was also expected to seize the opportunity to engage the President on the vex issue of Xenophobic attacks on innocent Nigerians and other foreigners in South Africa.
“With the ruling party’s anger over the Xenophobic attacks against Nigerians and its recent call on the Federal Government to nationalize South African businesses in Nigeria, trust Comrade Oshiomhole to forcefully canvass the issue with the President”, our source said
Meanwhile, competent sources disclosed that following his emergence as winner of the APC’s primary held in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital on August 29, Governor Bello has surprisingly been reaching out to aggrieved opponents and party members on the need to forge a common front and strong political machinery to confront the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the governorship battle.
With the Appeal panels on both Bayelsa and Kogi gubernatorial primaries already in place, the Bello camp is upbeat and believes that it can still effectively galvanise support from all party members and even political opponents to make his re-election bid a success.
