Kogi Poll: 10 Parties Form Alliance to Back Accord Guber Candidate

Chuks Okocha in Abuja 

Ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State, the candidate of Accord Party, Admiral Jibrin Usman has said 10 political parties have collapsed their structures to support his aspiration.

He disclosed the plan at the weekend while unveiling his political manifesto to change the fortunes of the state, if elected governor by November 11. 

According to him, the state of decadence across many critical sectors of the state economy informed his decision to join the race.

Usman, former Chief of Naval Staff, acknowledged that the Accord Party would accept to merge with other parties to brighten its chances at the poll.

Usman said: “We have all seen the resultant effect of the arrangement between two parties that brought about this. So, there is nothing bad about in parties merging. It is constitutionally allowed.  

“There is nothing wrong if for instance, my party decided to merge with another party. It will interest you to know that 10 political parties have indeed merged with my party and my state party chairman has taken them on board.

“Ten parties are with me, some are adamant but they have approached me that I should give them more time. This is to tell you that other parties have assessed the capacity of the Accord candidate.

“All things being equal, I will emerge the Governor of Kogi State. During our visit to Kogi East, we covered 27 districts. During the tour, we saw high level of decadence and lack of infrastructure for effective development.

“We know that Kogi people are really suffering. There is therefore the need for a paradigm shift. Ours is to rescue our people from maladministration,” the governorship candidate said.

Usman explained that there was nothing “to write home about the state. People in the state cannot sleep with their two eyes closed.

“What happened to the candidate of the SDP on his way to Kogi is an affront and a reminder of the level of insecurity in Kogi State. It is surprising that nobody has been questioned till date.

“In Kogi State, we are faced with high level of kidnapping, political assassinations and thuggery which is a subject of its own in Kogi. And a lot of people are dying as a result of poverty.

“Criminality as we have in Kogi is occasioned by lack of jobs. The youths go through hell to make both ends meet. A lot of them graduated from universities but have nothing to do.

This is why their political masters as political thugs recruit many of them.

“Should this continue like this in the state? As chief security officer of the state, shouldn’t Governor Yahaya Bello liaise with the appropriate security agencies to request for deployment to give it a check? If we are there, we know the appropriate agencies to call upon.”