Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Tuesday beats the national leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and other presidential aspirants the platform of the party to obtain the N100 million presidential Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to contest the 2023 presidential election.
The governor paid for the N100 million forms on Tuesday morning, making him the first to officially seal his aspiration to the office of the President in 2023, a statement by Director, Media and Publicity, Yahaya Bello Presidential Campaign Organisation, Yemi Kolapo, said.
The governor had declared his presidential ambition at the Eagle Square in Abuja on April 2, 2022.
He is contesting despite the agitation for zoning of the office to the South. Bello hails from the North Central where the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdullahi Adamu, also comes from.
Kolapo in a statement said, “With the payment for the forms, Governor Bello’s teeming supporters should rest assured that he will be on the ballot in the 2023 presidential race. We are highly encouraged by the number of APC Governors, leaders and stakeholders who have demonstrated their strong support for the candidacy of our principal. We reiterate that he is not known for betrayal. He is always very loyal to his own and his priorities have always been Nigeria.
“Though the race officially begins now, it is on record that Governor Bello has consistently been at the forefront of the contest. He has demonstrated this again by being the first to pay for the forms.
“We urge delegates and indeed all Nigerians to shun divisive narratives in the interest of the nation and choose the best of the lot. We have no doubt that our tested and trusted National Working Committee members will put the interest of the party and that of Nigeria first in their activities around the process that will throw up the next flag bearer of the APC.”
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