The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has vowed to ensure the victory of the gubernatorial candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the State, Ododo Ahmed.

He disclosed his support for Ododo while receiving some defectors into the party, stressing the crucial significance of fostering unity among the diverse ethnic communities within the state.

The Zonal Chairmen of the Social Democratic Party in the three senatorial districts of Kogi State, officially dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress, along with all the party’s chairmen in the 21 local government areas of the state.

The SDP top executives, who made their decision to join the ruling party public at the Government House in Lokoja, said they weighed their options and chose the continuous development of the state and wellbeing of indigenes above other considerations.

SDP’s Zonal Chairman for Kogi East, Suleiman Isah, criticised what he described as SDP’s campaign, based on ethnicity, saying it was detrimental to the state’s socio-cultural wellbeing, and could undermine the peace enjoyed in the past few years.

“We are happy that this is happening today. Even while we were in the opposition, we were aware that you did a lot for the state. The infrastructure projects are what anyone cannot deny, Your Excellency. We have all decided to join the APC to support the efforts at further developing the state. And we will give all the necessary support to ensure victory for the APC candidate in the governorship election,” Isah said.

He acknowledged Governor Yahaya Bello’s commendable accomplishments in health, education, road infrastructure, and agriculture, among others, over the past seven years.

Governor Bello however, stressed that the timing of their movement from SDP to APC was significant, given his administration’s noteworthy achievements in Kogi State, which had earned the APC widespread support.

He underscored the importance of collaborative, issue-based campaigns and noted that success in any election would depend on broad support.