Politicians ‘should speak with caution’

Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister of State Dr. Ramatu Aliyu has advised politicians to guard their utterances and ensure a violent-free poll.

Aliyu spoke in Abuja when members of the Kogi State House of Assembly visited her, saying although the primaries had been won, it was not yet time to rest.

The minister of state noted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would work for the continuity of Governor Yahaya Bello.

In a statement by her Special Assistant Media, Austine Elemue, the minister said: “We came out successful during our primaries, but it is not yet Uhuru … The era of divide-and-rule in Kogi State is over because we are now one big family…

“The governor should …trust us … we are now one family ready to work for the continuity of our governor. Legislators should go back home and talk to their people for them to win their trust…

“But more importantly, guard your utterances…Prove to Nigerians that Kogi governorship election is …violent-free, just as we witnessed during the primaries. There will be no snatching of ballot boxes to prove a point to the opposition. I appeal to you to remain calm,” she said

Assembly Speaker Matthew Kolawale observed that the state ought to have developed more than Lagos as the oldest capital city of Nigeria, just as he regretted that leadership failure had been a major drawback of the state.

He hoped that with her appointment, she would change the narrative, and appealed to the Federal Government to site a seaport in Kogi.