Some Nigerians have pledged their support for Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi State for President in 2023, noting that he is the best man to solve the problems of insecurity in the country.
They made this known while speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja during the official declaration of Bello to contest for Presidency in 2023 under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
They noted that aside from tackling the insecurity bedeviling the country, Bello also has the capabilities of providing good governance, unifying and improving the living conditions of Nigerians, and building infrastructure.
Mr. Moses Okezie-Okafor, Director, Research and Development, Kogi State government, said that 2023 would no longer be business as usual.
Okezie-Okafor said that 2023 would be time for Nigerians to choose the most competent person capable of tackling the numerous challenges confronting the country.
“Nigerians need to know that in the 2023 Presidential elections it will not be business as usual. This is not the time to vote sentiments, this is not the time to vote tribe, this is not the time to vote anything but what we as Nigerians need and what that is, security and unity, peace and progress.”
“And that is what Yahaya Bello has achieved in Kogi State against all odds over that past six and half years. Kogi used to be the worst state in terms of security outside the North-East. Today it is the safest state in the country.”
“So today I am urging Nigerians, especially my people of the South-East that as my boss declares today and goes to the primaries, I believe in God we are going to get the ticket. It is time to vote somebody who is a friend of the Igbos, a friend of Nigerians.”
“There are 54 people from all over Nigeria working in his administration and I can tell you that I sit in the Kogi State Executive Council since 2016.”
“Because this cosmopolitan, detribalised Nigerian saw what I carry, not who I am and appointed me on the basis of merit so this is the kind of thing we want in Nigeria,” Okezie-Okafor said.
Prince Abdullahi Attajiri, President of the Arewa Voters Forum said that Bello is the right person to solve Nigeria’s insecurity from what he has achieved in Kogi State.
Attajiri said that Bello also demonstrated his capability of guaranteeing peace in the recently held APC National Convention which went hitch-free with Bello Chairing the Security sub-Committee.
“Yahaya Bello did not just stand up to become President, It was people that started clamoring for him to come and be our President considering his record of performance in Kogi State. Kogi state is the most peaceful state in the country, this record is there and you can go and check.”
“Look at this convention that we just had, he was Chief Security Officer at the convention and things went without many hitches. So he is the best man for the job. By the time Yahaya Bello becomes President of this country, we can sleep on the street and I can assure you of that,” Attajiri said.
Abdullahi Ohere, Kogi State Commissioner for Works and Housing, said that Bello’s Presidency will give Nigerians what they clamour for at the moment which is guaranteed security.
“From what I know about his Excellency between 2016 till date and what I know of him before that time, he has demonstrated enough capacity to show that he can lead Nigeria.”
“One major reason we are craving for him, as you can see, the country is bedeviled with insecurity and when he came on board, that was the major problem Kogi was having but today we have put it behind.”
“Another line of thinking is that Kogi was divided along ethnic lines, along religious lines, and so many divides that you cannot name but he was able to harmonize all interest in Kogi State.”
“Before you can develop any local economy, for instance, there must be adequate infrastructure, there must be roads linking communities. All these were not in place when he came on board but today he has been able to put all those in place,” Ohere said.
Mrs. Zara Onyinye, a Political Analyst, lauded Bello for surpassing the 35 percent affirmative action of Women inclusion in governance, noting that more women would be occupying political positions when Bello becomes President.
“In terms of women’s inclusion in government, in terms of security, and in terms of managing the unity of that state, Yahaya Bello has impacted the people and the state.
“So the women and youths are actually clamouring and saying, please come and go to that bigger position which is the Presidency,” Onyinye said.