Governor Yahaya Bello has surmounted the stiff opposition that stood his way in the contest for the second term ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State.
Bello won the APC governorship election return ticket in a keenly contested primary election held i in Lokoja on Thursday with 3,127 out of 3,596 votes cast by the delegates.
Unlike the usual practice where sitting governors get the second term of their parties through consensus or with less opposition, Bello dragged the ticket with nine other aspirants including, Hadiza Iyoma Ibrahim, Yahaya Audu, Sani Lulu Abdullahi, Abubakar Bashir, Danlami Mohammed, Yakubu Mohammed, Hassan Abdullahi and Ekele Aishat Blessing.
Before the primaries, over 50 aspirants had indicated interest to contest the ticket with the governor but most of them could not obtain the N22.5 million nomination forms and 6 out of the 16 that got the forms were screened.
The opposition to his emergence continued up to the time of the primary election until Justice Abdul Awulu, the vacation judge sitting in a High Court in Lokoja dismissed an ex parte application to stop the governorship primaries of the APC in the state as the results were being awaited.
Ruling on the application filed by Mustapha Audu, a governorship aspirant, Justice Awulu, held that the court cannot stop the primaries by order.
With his emergence, the next obstacle for Bello would be to face either Dino Melaye, Senator Representing Kogi West or former governor Idris Wada who are likely to emerge governorship candidates of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP next week at the ballot on November 16.
James Kwen, Abuja
