Usman Ododo, winner of the Kogi State governorship election, went on his knees to present his certificate of return to incumbent Yahaya Bello on Friday, November 17, 2023.
The Kogi State Governor-elect went on his knees to appreciate the support he received from Governor Bello in the last Saturday election.
Usman Ododo, winner of the Kogi State governorship election, went on his knees to present his certificate of return to incumbent Yahaya Bello on Friday, November 17, 2023.
The governor-elect and his deputy-in-waiting, Comr. Joel Oyibo Salifu received their certificates of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at a brief ceremony in Lokoja, the state capital, on Friday.
Shortly after, Ododo approached Governor Bello, who was seated in the front row of the hall, and presented the certificate to him while assuming a kneeling position.
The act drew reactions from the crowd, consisting of supporters, family members, and well-wishers, who later burst into singing to hail the governor-elect.
Expressing profound gratitude for the support, Alhaji Ododo pledged to lead Kogi State towards justice, unity, and progress.
“My administration would be committed to sustaining the youth and women’s empowerment programs of the present administration,” he said.
Ododo was anointed by Governor Bello as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)’s candidate in the just-concluded Kogi State gubernatorial poll. The former had worked in the latter’s administration as the Auditor-General of Local Government in the North-Central state.
The APC candidate emerged winner of the controversial election of November 11, defeating his closest challenger, Murtala Ajaka, of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Ododo polled 446,237 votes, while Ajaka finished a distant second with 259,052 votes. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dino Melaye, ended in third place after garnering 46,362 votes.
