* Relocates To Abuja As APC Moves To Deny Him Ticket
Temidayo Akinsuyi, Lagos
With
few months to the conduct of the governorship election in Kogi State,
the state governor,Yahaya Bello, who is seeking reelection, has
practically abandoned governance and has temporarily relocated to Abuja
to lobby President Muhammadu Buhari, first lady Aisha Buhari and other
leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Bello, who
was sworn in as the fourth civilian governor of Kogi State on January
27, 2016, was picked by the leadership of the APC to replace the late
Abubakar Audu, the original party’s candidate who died before the
governorship election held on November 21, 2015 was concluded.
Audu
was leading the candidate of the PDP, former Gov. Idris Wada, before
the election was declared inconclusive by the Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC).
Many had thought the late Audu’s
running mate, James Faleke, a serving member of the House of
Representatives, would replace him, but the party’s leadership led by
its former national chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, opted for Bello, who
emerged first runner-up in the party’s primaries.
Since assuming
office, he has been having running battle with some stakeholders in the
state especially those who were aggrieved with the manner with which he
emerged as the beneficiary of the late Audu’s ticket.
Sources
also alleged that aside issues of unpaid salaries which has given Kogi a
negative image amongst the 36 states in the country, the governor is
also in the habit of fighting everyone, especially the leadership of the
party in his state, House of Assembly members and serving federal
lawmakers.
Sources in the state told Daily Independent that since
the conclusion of the presidential election which was won by President
Buhari, the governor is rarely seen in the state as he has practically
relocated to Abuja where he is lobbying major stakeholders in the party
as well as those in the presidency to give him a soft landing.
It
was also reported that while Adams Oshiomhole was favourably disposed
to direct primaries which was adopted by the party in the just concluded
elections, the embattled governor was canvassing for indirect primaries
where selected delegates will vote.
According to a source,
“Right now, Governor Yahaya Bello has temporarily relocated to Abuja
over his ambition to secure a second term ticket. Governance in Kogi is
at its lowest ebb now. He promised new direction when he was sworn-in
but right now, there is no direction at all.
“There is this fear
that APC leadership under Adams Oshiomhole will adopt the direct primary
method, where all the party members will vote to elect their
governorship candidate. I think that is what the governor is trying to
prevent now, even before INEC announces a date for the election.”
According
to another source, who is a member of the state’s House of Assembly,
“Bello is fighting different people in the state. There is this
impression that he is not popular among the citizens, both young and
old, especially the civil servants who constitute the majority of the
people in the state.
“There are several petitions against him
written by members of the APC to the party secretariat in Abuja. The
crux of the petition is that APC will lose woefully in the state if they
field him as the candidate. They said even if he rigs the election, he
cannot win. The situation is that bad.
“He is close to the first
lady, Aisha Buhari, and he is using that to lobby the president. You
hardly find him in Kogi these days”.
However, speaking with our
correspondent, Onogwu Mohammed, the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the
governor, denied the allegations, saying the governor has remained in
the state and even cancelled a trip with President Buhari to Jordan in
order to attend to security issues in the state.
“That is a lie
from the pit of hell concocted by the imagination of those who are only
interested in spreading falsehood. Governor Yahaya Bello was billed to
travel with Mr. President to Jordan alongside with Governors Abiola
Ajimobi of Oyo and Badaru of Jigawa State.
“The governor has been
on ground in the state since last week and has not traveled to Abuja.
He had to cancel that trip to Jordan with President Buhari because from
the security reports he gathered, there was a plot to threaten the peace
of the people of Omala Local Government Area.
“So, he cancelled
that trip and has been on ground in Kogi State. He held meetings with
the various security agencies in Kogi. Based on the meeting, the
security apparatus in Kogi moved to Omala Local Government Area and they
were there till yesterday morning until they repelled the attack.
“The
governor is presently in the state, coming to office, attending to
issues that borders on the well-being of the people of Kogi State. To
say the governor has relocated to Abuja because of second term is a lie
and should not be taken serious by well-meaning Nigerians.
“Yahaya
Bello is not after second term in office. He is not desperate about
getting himself a second term ticket by relocating to Abuja. He is
assuring himself of a second term ticket by giving the people of Kogi
State good governance”.
When Daily Independent sought the
position of the APC national chairman on the issue, one of his aides
said he is not concerned with the issue at the moment, adding that the
focus of Oshiomhole now is the issue of the National Assembly leadership
so that the mistakes of 2015 will not repeat itself.
“The national chairman takes matters as they come. The Kogi election will come up later in the year. What is pressing now is the issue of the National Assembly leadership which will take place in June”, he said.
Source:- Independentng
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