Meet Ahmed Usman-Ododo, the New Governor of Kogi State

Ahmed Usman-Ododo, the New Governor of Kogi State

Meet Ahmed Usman-Ododo, the New Governor of Kogi State

On Saturday, November 11, 2023, the people of Kogi State in Nigeria elected a new governor. The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Ahmed Usman-Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the governorship election. He defeated 18 other candidates, including his predecessor, Muritala Ajaka of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), who came second, and Dino Melaye of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who came third.

Ododo received 446,237 votes, while Ajaka got 259,052 votes and Melaye got 46,362 votes. Kogi State was one of the three states where elections were held on Saturday, along with Anambra and Ekiti states.

But who is Ahmed Usman-Ododo, and what do we know about him? Here are some facts about the new governor of Kogi State:

He was born on February 7, 1982, in Okene town, which is part of the Ebira ethnic group.

He studied Accounting at Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and obtained a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Lagos.

He worked as the chief financial auditor of local governments in Kogi State for seven and a half years, and he was a key ally of the outgoing governor, Yahaya Bello. 

He emerged as the APC gubernatorial candidate after defeating other contenders like Shu’abu Audu, Stephen Ochen, Sanusi Ohiare, and Smart Adeyemi in the party primaries.

Ododo will be sworn in as the new governor of Kogi State on January 27, 2024. He has promised to deliver good governance, security, and development to the people of Kogi State.