Kogi guber: APC, PDP, SDP in tight race

<p>The D-day is here as residents of Kogi State file out to elect a brand new governor.</p>, <p>No doubt, the election, according to political pundits, is the most scary in the history of Kogi State because of its ethnic colouration.</p>, <p>The Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) had stated that 1,833,160 voters in Kogi State are going to the polls.</p>, <p>The election is filled with surprises as the political situation makes it so hard to predict the outcome.</p>, <p>The unusual turn of events that led to the victory of opposition candidates during the February 2023 election makes it so difficult to predict.</p>, <p>Although the major contenders have their strongholds where they are expected to pull a lot of votes, there is a possibility that there might still be unforeseen circumstances that would lead to them to not having bulk votes away from their strongholds.</p>, <p>Before 2016, when Governor Yahaya Bello was sworn in as the fourth democratically elected Governor of Kogi State, power had been in the hands of the Kogi East.</p>, <p>First it was Late Prince Abubakar Audu, (1992-1993, 1999-2003), second, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris Ibro, (2003-2011) and lastly Capt. Idris Ichala Wada, (2011-2015.</p>, <p>This escalated the drive for power shift from the other ethnic groups who over the years cried of marginalization by a section of the State.</p>, <p>The emergence of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as Governor of Kogi State shortly after the demise of Prince Abubakar Audu brought sign of relief as other ethnic groups (Kogi West) had envisaged that it will be their turn after eight years of the current administration.</p>, <p>However, in all of these, some observers have accused Governor Bello of promoting a third term agenda by backing his kinsman, Ahmed Usman Ododo, the APC Governorship candidate to succeed him.</p>, <p>Recently at the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, campaign grand finale, the Governorship Candidate, Senator Dino Melaye called on the people of Kogi to join hands with him to stop the alleged thir