With the belief that Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has the capacity and commitment to drive the socio-political empowerment of women, and convinced that if given a bigger platform, he would go beyond the affirmative action in ensuring that women take their rightful places in politics and governance in Nigeria, a new political group, ‘Action Women for GYB Nigeria Project 2023’ has successfully taken off as a vehicle of mass mobilization for his presidential aspiration.

Flagged off last Saturday at Abejukolo, headquarters of Omala Local Government, the event attracted crowd of enthusiastic women and youths from the area and beyond who converged to be part of the historic moment in the birth of a movement for the actualization of the Governor’s national political aspiration.

Spearheading this initiative is its founder and Secretary of Omala Local Government Area, Honourable Joy Odaudu, who revealed that the group is driven by the overall objective of mobilizing women across the country towards supporting the call on Governor Bello to run and eventually win the race for the nation’s presidency.

Hon. Joy Odaudu

The platform, she maintained, is inspired by the need to promote a leader that would serve the interest of all Nigerians, especially women and youths, noting that having succeeded in breaking the barrier to women and youth participation in politics and governance in Kogi, it is time he is supported to replicate the gesture on the national stage.

As one out of the large number of women the Governor has helped to discover destinies in politics, Hon. Odaudu pointed out that never in the history of the state have women being given leadership responsibilities from state down to the local level than now, stressing that as women, “to whom much is given, much is expected”.

While reeling out Governor Bello’s achievements including, security, infrastructures, unification of the state and uncommon sense of belonging to women and youths, these out of several great strides, she pointed out, qualifies him for Nigeria’s top office, adding that, “the Kogi Governor is the biggest and most acceptable personality to sell anywhere across the country”.

Governor Bello, she held, has shown greater concern and glaring commitment to the welfare of the people, development of the state, and the political liberation of women in the state, noting that he has achieved feats, unprecedented in the political history of the 30-year-old Kogi state.

The burden of ensuring Nigerians experience a new direction in the leadership of the country, she insists, lie on Kogi women and the youths to woo other Nigerians to the aspiration of Governor Bello to lead the country in 2023, describing the Governor as a, ‘light that cannot be hidden’.

With the official flagging off ceremony, the train is fully set to cruise round the state, and then to the 36 states in the country including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and urged women in the state to rise up to the challenge of mobilizing other Nigerians for Governor Bello’s Nigeria Project 2023.

Joined at the flag off ceremony were the Chairmen of Omala Local Government, Alh. Ibrahim Yakubu Aboh and his counterpart from Ankpa, Alh. Ibrahim Abagwu, who called on women across the state to participate actively in drumming support for the success of the Governor’s outing in the 2023 presidential race.

The duo described Governor Bello as ‘leading light’ in the country following his pace setting approaches to governance, arguing that no Nigerian Governor in history and the present gave women opportunities in politics than the Kogi Governor has done, and the only gratitude women and youths of the state owe him is to shoulder the struggle for his presidential aspiration.

They commended the founder of the group for thrusting upon herself the challenge to create the awareness on the leadership qualities of the Governor, his achievements and why Nigerians should desire him in 2023.

A cross section of party stalwarts and groups at the event who spoke with The Graphic agreed that Governor Bello is a rare leader with the capacity and virtues to restore Nigeria’s pride and glory in 2023, and lauded the initiative of the support group.

(With reports by The Graphic)