The senator representing Kogi West and one of the key contenders in the November 11 governorship election in the state, Smart Adeyemi, has said that indigenes from the district have resolved not to vote for any candidate who is not from the region because it is their turn to produce the next governor.
Senator Adeyemi said this while responding to questions on Trust TV’s flagship political programme, Daily Politics on Friday.
He explained that for 32 years, the zone had not produced a governor in the state, making the decision more germane in the spirit of fairness.
“Kogi West leaders, women and professionals have met and decided that none of us will vote for any candidate that’s not from the zone. We are not slaves. We are not conquered. This is our resolution as a people.
How can we be in a state for 32 years and we are not allowed to produce a governor and you want us to say we are part of that state? It doesn’t make sense. The world is governed by fairness,” he said.
The senator explained that he, alongside other members of the party in his senatorial district, had supported the re-election bid of Governor Yahaya Bello with the expectation that he was going to cede power to the west at the end of his tenure.
“The world is listening to me. We are part and parcel of Kogi State. We supported Yahaya Adoza Bello. In fact, he won his second term with the support of Kogi west because at that time, the zone had one of their own who contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
“We didn’t field a candidate in the APC. So, we supported him with the understanding that he would hand over to the west. And I am not in doubt that he is still going to do that because in politics, 24 hours is still a long time.
“Let me tell you that it will be at the peril of the party not to field a candidate from Kogi West. And we are just three that are contesting for it; myself, the commissioner of finance and one businessman from Lagos,” Adeyemi said.