2023 Presidency: I Prefer Yahaya Bello Not Tinubu, Osinbajo, Fayemi, Others, Says Hafsat Abiola

Segun James

Hafsat Abiola-Costello says he prefers Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi as a credible APC presidential aspirant to other Southwest presidential hopefuls like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Kayode Fayemi, and Pastor Tunde Bakare, among others.

She mentioned that she chose Bello over the other Southwest APC presidential aspirants because the Kogi governor demonstrated commitment to Nigeria’s development and progress and expressed confidence that the governor would win the APC presidential primary.

“I am proud of GYB because of his development records in Kogi. This is a governor that is always looking for progress and the development of the lives of his people,” she stressed. “This is me, a Yoruba, supporting someone from Northcentral.”

Abiola-Costello, the director-general of the Yahaya Bello Presidential Campaign Organisation, stated this in Lagos while addressing journalists ahead of the APC presidential primaries slated for May 30 and 31 in Abuja.

“There is no progress without demands. I lost my parents, though, unfortunately, because Nigerians believed in them. I’ve been working with GYB for a while, and I have seen that he has the courage and intelligence to deliver Nigeria,” added Abiola-Costello. “Going into the presidential primaries, we are on a good footing. If you plant a good seed very early, you will reap better than those who plant late.”

According to her, the Kogi governor is a loyal and respectful politician who would carry everyone along.

Abiola-Costello, daughter of MKO Abiola, winner of the 1993 presidential election, said she chose the Kogi governor because she had seen in him leadership qualities Nigeria needs at this critical point.

On the nation’s economy, she noted that statistics from the World Bank on states’ accountability rating in Nigeria indicate that Kogi ranks top among other states in the country.

“This is a man who met a debt profile of about N135 billion in Kogi when he assumed office in 2016 but has been able to reduce it to about N70 billion. This is in addition to his huge investments in education, agriculture, security and infrastructural developments. The World Bank accountability ranking of states in Nigeria evaluated Kogi as second in 2017, first in 2018 and 2019,” Abiola-Costello stressed.

Speaking further, she noted, “The draft report for 2021 shows that Kogi scored 100 per cent in all the areas and from indications, the state will maintain the first position in 2021, judging from the draft report that was released just yesterday.”