Mr Oshiomhole made the call on Saturday in Idah, the traditional headquarters of Igalaland where the party flagged off its campaign.
The APC chairman who described Mr Bello as the most digitally-sound governor in Nigeria expressed confidence in the ability of the governor to lead the APC to victory on November 16 because he (Mr Bello) has learnt from the mistakes identified in his first tenure.
He affirmed that Kogi is still a work in progress despite the tremendous efforts of Mr Bello to change its socioeconomic and infrastructural deficits, noting that there was a need for the people to allow him to continue.
“The problem of governance is that the more you work, the more work you need to do; hence the reward for hard work is more work. Kogi can not return to an apprenticeship which is the alternative the opposition is putting before it.”
“Governor Bello has passed through that elementary stage and is ready to settle down and consolidate on the things he has learnt in the last four years by avoiding all the areas he made mistakes. Therefore the leadership of the APC has absolute confidence in his ability to take Kogi forward by building on his successes in all areas of development,” the national chairman said.
In his address, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo urged Kogi citizens to support Mr Bello’s re-election. He said that is the only way they could have Kogi in President Buhari’s Next Level agenda.
He said November 16 was an opportunity for Kogi State to show its preparedness to continue to back the good intention of the president, who he said is working with Mr Bello to give the state a deserved socio-economic turnaround.
On his part, Mr Bello said his administration’s core policy in governance is for the upliftment of the downtrodden members of the society. Hence, he said, his agenda has been designed along the policies of President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government.
He urged the people of the state to repeat their show of massive support for the president, and APC federal and state lawmakers who they voted in the last general elections by doing same for the APC on November 16.
The governor, flying the flag of APC, is seeking a second term in office. He will face his closest rival, Musa Wada of the PDP, and dozens of other candidates in the election.
