Ododo, “The Beautiful Flower Boy” vigorous campaign and the coming victory
By Abubakar S. H
By the time the results of November, 11, Saturday’s governorship election is eventually announced and Ahmed Usman Ododo is declared the winner, his victory will leave no one in doubt because it will be a well-deserved victory.
The All Progressives Congress Governorship candidate, offers by far the most well-thought-out campaign promises.
The solutions put forward in his policy document will give our people a new lease of life. Among his competitors, he unarguably ran the most holistic, all-inclusive and gruelling campaign schedules.
Sometimes during the campaigns, in the ancient town of Lokoja, the kogi state capital, which has now become accustomed and famous for Ododo’s sagely and piercing remarks, he spoke, perhaps in consonance with the history of the state as the cradle of the free press. It was at the kogi state capital that Ododo added “Beautiful flower” to kogian’s ever-expanding political vocabulary while addressing party supporters in his residence in Lokoja. It was an assertion of his will and readiness to be governor of Kogi state.
Contrary to the negative spin by his traducers, that insightful statement was never made out of any vainglorious sense of entitlement. It was a bold and audacious statement, asserting his suitability for the exalted office. It was meant to convey the fact that having worked to advance democracy in the land, having contributed immensely to kogi’s growth and development, and having also contributed in achieving political goals, he is also deserving the topmost office by virtue of his qualifications, competence and capacity.
Anyone claiming self-entitlement would sit at home, fold his arms and expect the governorship candidate to be delivered to him on a platter of silver or gold.
Not Ododo. He has traversed the length and breadth of the state, speaking directly to the people and selling his candidacy and message of Kogi project.
When the curtain is drawn on the party’s open campaign after a hugely successful and unprecedented consultations round the state, the APC candidate would have gone around the entire state, visiting many lgalas several times over.
I have taken the time to present Ododo comprehensive journey around the state before this important election to underscore how hard he had worked and how rigorous his campaign activities had been.
Now, the first point that is remarkable about this is Ododo engaged in ceaseless, consistent and sustained trips around the state, in some cases to difficult and uncharted terrains, soliciting support for his candidature.
These demanding schedules belied baseless insinuations that he was imposed by Gov. Yahaya Bello is false, Ododo contested primary election and he won.
Ododo’s message of Kogi project was disseminated during the wide consultation and well laid out in his action plan encapsulates his vision for the state in various areas including insecurity which he plans to confront with the injection of cutting-edge technology and by putting more boots on the ground with the recruitment of more personnel alongside necessary training programmes.
On the economy, Ododo seeks to catalyse double-digit growth through massive resource mobilisation and increasing the megawatts of available electricity to pave the way for rapid industrialisation in kogi state.
Ododo’s turnaround plan includes continuous and increasing investment in physical infrastructure such as road networks. The ododo plan gives agriculture and particularly crop farming and rice production priority attention. These areas, which form parts of the achievements of Governor Yahaya Bello, would be revived and consolidated by Ododo – Joel
