19th October, 2019
Mr Ayodele Ajibola, the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) candidate in the forthcoming governorship election in Kogi, has dissociated himself from the purported endorsement of Governor Yahaya Bello of the APC for second term.
Ajibola made this known while speaking with newsmen on Saturday in Lokoja.
According to him, his party is prepared and ready to square it up with anyone in the forthcoming election and will never be part of any endorsement.
The PRP candidate said he toiled and sweated to emerge as the candidate of one of the oldest political parties in Nigeria and would never trade his credibility for anything.
“We are prepared to go into the election with all seriousness and as such won’t sell ourselves and party to any party and candidate whatsoever for peanuts.
“Even if there is any agreement for endorsement with anyone in our party, it should be negotiated with the national officers of my party. The PRP at the national level has not in any way intimated me of any agreement with APC and their candidate.
“On this note, I dissociate myself and party from any endorsement of any candidate’’.
A coalition of 45 political parties had, at a news conference held on Wednesday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, adopted Governor Bello as their sole candidate for the Nov. 16 election.
The Chairman of the coalition, Sani Teidi said the parties decided to adopt Bello to boost his re-election bid.
Teidi noted that 12 of the parties in the coalition were fielding candidates in the election, 15 others had no candidates while the remaining 18 had earlier voluntarily withdrawn from the election to brighten the chances of Bello.
According to Teidi, the parties include Accord Party, Alliance for Democracy, Green Party of Nigeria, Peoples Party of Nigeria, National Conscience Party, Young Democratic Party and Justice Must Prevail Party.
Others he said are Zenith Labour Party, Peoples Progressives Party, Hope Democratic Party, Africa Action Alliance and Peoples Redemption Party among others.