All is set for Saturday, 2nd April 2020 at the Eagles Square in Abuja as  Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is billed to declare his intention to contest for the office of the President of Nigeria under the auspices of the All-Progressives Congress (APC).

As the youngest state Governor in the current 4th Republic of Nigeria, Governor Bello brings the dynamism and vigour of youth to the race for Nigeria’s presidency that has hitherto been dominated by gerontocratic politicians. He comes with a track record of surmounting many obstacles and oppositions as Governor of Kogi State and repositioning the state by running an open government that is focused on human development and has been adjudged by many within and outside Nigeria to be transparent and suitable for progressive development.

Many of Governor Bello’s supporters endear him to all Nigerians as a proven unifier of all Nigerians, known as a people with multi-ethnic and diverse religious inclinations. He made Kogi State an epitome of religious tolerance and ethnic integration as demonstrated by his inclusive form of governance that has witnessed non-discriminatory appointments to his cabinet to include Kogites (indigenes of Kogi State) and non-indigenes who hail from the various divides and extremes of the Niger. “Considering that one of the biggest problems facing Nigeria currently is the unity question, Nigeria needs a President that not only respects the peculiar Nigerian diversity but one that believes in giving every Nigeria a sense of belonging without any feeling of discrimination”, one of his supporters wrote. “Yahaya Bello is a Muslim that is loved by Christians who would not forget in a hurry his kind disposition to protecting and promoting an atmosphere of religious freedom with tolerance in Kogi State. Of particular note is his unprecedented decision to build a chapel ( a place of worship for Christians) in Kogi State Government House, 28 years after the state was created. 

Courage and hope have typified Yahaya Bello’s brand of politics leading him to blaze trails and exceed boundaries and excelled against many odds. Therefore many believe that his emergence as Nigeria’s hope in 2023 would rekindle in Nigerians the great hope that seems lost, which would coincide as a watershed of a dream for a great Nigeria as it coincides with the 30th anniversary of Hope 93 of the MKO Abiola fame.

The Nigerian political landscape is therefore about to witness a climactic atmosphere of  hope as Governor Yahaya Bello launches Hope 23