•Mimiko storms Lokoja
The re-election bid of Kogi State Governor Idris Wada has received a boost, with his endorsement by the Yoruba community.
The community is an amalgam of people of Yoruba extraction living in the state, drawn from the Yoruba-speaking states of Edo, Ekiti, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Lagos and Kwara, who constitute a large percentage of voters.
It is distinct from the indigenous Okun-Yoruba ethnic stock, who occupy six of the 21 local governments, namely Ijumu, Kabba-Bunu, Lokoja, Mopamuro, Yagba East and Yagba West.
The leaders of the community spoke in Lokoja at a reception in honour of Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko.
Mimiko, also the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, was in the state in solidarity with Wada, whose major challenger is two-time governor, Prince Abubakar Audu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Ondo State governor, who addressed his audience in Yoruba language, said Kogi was a peculiar state, given its location at the centre of the nation, which made it home for all Nigerians.
He said it was divine that Kogi shared boundaries with nine states, including the Yoruba-speaking states of Edo, Ekiti, Ondo and Kwara, as well as the Federal Capital Territory.
Mimiko reminded them of the age-long socio-cultural affinity between Kogi and its neighbouring states.
He said the Yoruba resident in Kogi were integrated into the socio-economic scheme without discrimination, advising them against making the mistake of ‘being conned into voting for gods from other lands,’ which would upset the stability and peace they enjoyed.
The governor urged them to consolidate their positions as stakeholders in the state’s affairs by re-electing Wada on November 21.
The paramount leader of the community, Oba Bello Audu, on behalf of the delegates, thanked Governor Wada for convening the meeting.
He also thanked Governor Mimiko for visiting his fellow Yoruba.
The monarch said under the Wada leadership, non-indigenes found a worthy home in Kogi State.
Said he: “We are one and the same with the people of Kogi State. Our children do not pay discriminatory school fees. Our businesses are not levied through selective taxes. The issue of state of origin is almost a non-issue for us here because of the way we have been embraced by our hosts and the governor.”
Oba Audu told Governor Wada that his administration’s goodwill to non-indigenes would be rewarded on November 21.
Wada thanked Mimiko for visiting the state at the height of his campaign, despite his busy schedule. He hailed the Yoruba community for its commitment to his re-election, pledging that better times await residents.
The Kogi governor invited Mimiko to lead other PDP governors to the grand finale of his campaign before the election.