Kogi APC primary: Accept defeat — you can contest in future, group tells aspirants

A group known as All Progressives Congress (APC) Rebirth Coalition in Kogi (APC-RCK) has asked aspirants who lost in the governorship primary in the state to accept defeat “without resentment”. 

On Friday, Ahmed Ododo, a former local government auditor-general in Kogi, was declared the winner of the APC governorship primary in the state.

Ododo got 78,704 votes to beat six other contestants in the race.

However, some of the aspirants, including Smart Adeyemi, a senator, faulted the conduct of the election, alleging that the results were already prepared before the poll.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Arome Opaluwa and Zekeriya Adegbe, president and secretary-general of the group, asked the aspirants to demonstrate a “genuine spirit of sportsmanship” by accepting the results.

“In every competition, someone has to win and someone has to lose, but those who lost should not abandon the party or lose their enthusiasm for the advancement of the party,” the statement reads.

“In politics, there is always another opportunity, sometimes better than the present. Hence, don’t lose hope permanently because tomorrow could present another prospect.

“The objective is to have a strong party that can beat the Peoples Democratic Party and others at the polls. This is the time to build structures around to ensure we deliver our candidate.

“We should, therefore, work together for the success of the APC despite the defeat. A house divided among itself can not stand. The APC is our home and we can’t burn it down.

“As demonstrated by His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello, our party is committed to a people-oriented government against personalized democracy. We must consolidate the achievements of the outgoing leader who has set our state on the path to progress and prosperity in line with his New Direction Agenda.”

The group asked Ododo to be “gracious in victory”, adding that his candidacy is a “public trust for a better Kogi”.