By Onogwu Mohammed
A North Central Political advocacy group, North Central Renaissance Movement has urged Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello to contest in the forthcoming 2023 general election in the interest of the North Central geo-political zone being one of the region’s juggernaut and for the overall unity of Nigeria.
The Group on Thursday during their visit to Governor Bello noted that after their advocacy visits across the region in the past few months, aimed at stirring the consciousness of the people towards demanding for political recognition, particularly the number one sit of the country, the Governor’s name has become a reference point as a leading contender for such role.
The Chairman Nghargbu K’tso who spoke on behalf of the NCRM delegation stated that While interacting with traditional rulers, religious leaders, politicians, the Academia, youth and women across the region, they all agreed that the Kogi state Governor is the most serious among many other political figure in the region as the 2023 polity was concerned.
The Chairman stressed that Governor Bello was a reference point nationally and beyond for promoting women, youth empowerment and inclusiveness in governance noting that Kogi state has the strongest security architecture in the country hence his leadership skill was required for service at the nation’s top position
He noted that such affirmation gave their movement hope and suggested that their advocacy was yielding positive results which would take away despise and mockery suffered by the region as the only geo political zone to not have produced leaders at the highest executive offices of the nation.
He stated that after over 60 years and several democratic dispensations a zone like the North Central which has contributed immensely to Nigeria politically, economically in human resources, food security and other germane areas and has made several sacrifices for the peace and cohesion of the Nigeria state has been deprived of a leadership role at the topmost level.
The chairman noted that the region in the last general election gave the current administration a remarkable number of votes, while it has also provided quality leadership at critical point in the country’s polity hence the narratives of insufficiency, numerical disadvantage or lack of capacity were irrelevant adding that the Governor being identified as one of the region’s first eleven must take the leading role in the 2023 election
He however made a call that the North Central Governor’s forum should come together and become a more formidable voice in a bid to bite harder the region’s portion of the national cake while they also meet regularly to discuss on issue of national interest.
The NCRM chairman asserted that every political party must handover their party ticket to persons from the North Central region in a bid to erase the non representation at the presidency suffered by the region as a miss at 2023 political year would further shift this reality till 2031 and such legacies must not be handed over to the next generation
Governor Bello in his response to the group thanked them for their service to the North Central Geo political zone and the Nation by extension noting that their advocacy were a pointer to a political awakening which is taking place in every part of the country
He charged them to continue to deliberate with concerned stakeholders across every state within the region while they also carry the youth along as these efforts would birth the actualisation of the region’s desire for more political recognition
