Kogi: Ex-deputy speaker may emerge dep gov

There are strong indications that a former Deputy Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Mr. Simeon Ajuba, may be chosen by Governor Yahaya Bello as the state deputy governor.

Though there are reports that some of the national leaders of the All Progressives Congress, have shown a preference for Mr. Alex Akojie who is also from Ibaji, the same local government area Ajuba hails from, it was gathered on Saturday that the governor was more favourably disposed to Ajuba.

Bello’s loyalists have rallied behind him in his decision to settle for Ajuba.

Those routing for the former deputy speaker argue that his exposure and political experience as one of the key players in the political landscape of the state stands him out.

It was also gathered that Bello also intended to use Ajuba’s choice to appease the people of Kogi East, late Abubakar Audu’s constituency.

Audu, who was coasting to victory died suddenly before the election was declared inconclusive.

Ajuba was a member of the state House of Assembly between 1999 and 2003 under the Peoples Democratic Party and later became the Deputy Speaker from 2003 to 2007. He was said to have defected from PDP to APC two weeks to the governorship election.

Other names being mentioned as possible contenders for the deputy governorship position include: Justina Antepadina, Sam Areo, and Issac Ekpa.

Antepadina was a commissioner and later Secretary to the State Government in Audu’s administration.

Attempts to get official comments from the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on the development were unsuccessful.

Calls to his mobile phone indicted that it was switched off and a response to a text message sent to him was still being awaited as at the time of filing this report at 5:46pm.

However, a leading member of the party who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the party was waiting for a court pronouncement on the stalemate before knowing which step to take next.

The source said, “The APC is a law abiding party, we understand our original deputy governorship candidate, James Faleke, is in court, we will await a judicial pronouncement before taking further action.”