By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
The National Financial Secretary of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), who was also the candidate of the party for House of Representatives, Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency of Kogi State in the February 25, 2023 election; Reverend Emmanuel Olorunmagba has described the so called endorsement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Usman Ododo as a big scam.
Olorunmagba, the NRM National Officer who is a bonafide Kogi State indigene, in a statement in Kaduna on Tuesday August 8, 2023, stressed that both the National Secretariat and Kogi State Secretariat of the party know nothing about the so called endorsement.
“Therefore, if any individual has claimed to be endorsing a candidate for an election that the party structure knows nothing about not to talk of being in support, then the candidate so claimed to have gained the endorsement has been scammed big time.
“In fact, as the National officer of the party, NRM who is from Kogi State, I was shocked when I read the fake news on Facebook; because that was the first place I saw the fake news two days after the jamboree called endorsement. As I read it on Facebook, I copied it and sent it to eight (8) of our national officers (members of the NWC of NRM) to find out if there was anything like that, or if there was any meeting either of the NWC or the NMC, the highest ruling body of the party that I was not part of where such a thing was discussed and agreed.
“They were also all shocked to have read such a sham as none of them had any prior information until they read it from the link I sent to them. And it was never discussed nor agreed in any meeting in any way. And even the state officials too were not part of the so called endorsement,” he said.
He added that if there must be an endorsement of any candidate, the party structure has to be in the know because any kind of endorsement by any individual without the party structure giving it a nod, to vote and work for such candidate is a big scam.
“No individual or two persons can claim to be endorsing a person on behalf of a party without others working in the same direction. Such can only be for media hype and nothing more,” he pointed out.
According to the Kogi State born NRM candidate for House of Representatives in the last election, neither the national body of NRM, nor the Kogi State chapter is part of such endorsement of APC gubernatorial candidate for Kogi State,
” If the party will later endorse any candidate, all hands will be on deck. All national and state officers will be adequately carried along, so that those of us in Kogi State can all work as a team, mobilising our entire circle of influence.
“The most annoying is the caption that APC swallows five political parties in Kogi State and listing NRM as part of the parties so purportedly swallowed. Let’s get this straight, NO PARTY SWALLOWED NRM THAT I AM A NATIONAL OFFICER and NRM is not for swallowing.
“In conclusion, anyone or group of persons dealing with anybody in APC claiming to be coming for any kind of alliance or endorsement on behalf of the party, National Rescue Movement (NRM) is doing that at his own risk.
“As a National officer of the party, NRM from Kogi State and a candidate of the party in the last election, I have the responsibility to clear the air on the misinformation and put the record straight to the public. Those who want to play politics are advised to avoid certain propaganda that can be easily exposed”. he concluded.
