Onoja, 7 others withdraw from battle for Kogi APC gov. ticket

By Richard Elesho

Few hours to the primary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for Kogi State Governorship Election, incumbent Deputy Governor, Chief Edward Onoja, has withdrawn from the race.
He was among eight aspirants whose withdrawal was announced at a meeting that dragged into the night on Thursday.

Onoja alongside former Accountant General Jibrin Momoh, former Commissioner For Finance Budget and Economic Planning Asiwaju Asiru Idris withdrew from the race.

Similarly, Sen. Yakubu Useni, Banji jimoh, Chief of Staff, CoS, Muhammad Jamiu Asuku, Friday Idachaba, Yakubu Okala and Hajia Halima Alfa also stepped down from the contest.

Their withdrawal was announced by the Chief Returning Officer for the APC Governorship Primary Governor Matawalle of Zamfara State.

Both Onoja and Asuku have already issued statements announcing their withdrawal from the race.

Others still in the race include Alhaji Usman Ododo, Prof. Stephen Ocheni, Sen. Smart Adeyemi, Mustapha Ajaka and Barrister Salami Ozigi Deedat.

Meanwhile, there were speculations that Governor Yahaya Bello may be thinking in the direction of either Ododo, who recently resigned as Auditor General for Local Government Areas or Deedat, former Commissioner for LG and Chieftaincy Affairs as his preferred successor, at the time of this report.

The Kogi State APC Governorship Primary is scheduled to hold tomorrow, Friday, 14;April. The primary would be by direct method, with the Zamfara State Governor and Chairman Congress Committee saying only up-to-date financial members would be allowed to vote.

The Independent National Electoral Commission has scheduled the Kogi Governorship election for 11 November. Off-cycle Guber polls will also hold in Bayelsa and Imo states, the same date.