- R-L: Gov Bello, Chief Onoja*
Right Honourable (Alh) Abdullahi Bello, twice elected member Kogi State House of Assembly and former Speaker of the Assembly is also a former Acting Governor of the State.
He was elected into the 8th National Assembly, representing Okene/Ogori-magongo Fed Constituency, but his membership was cut short after 8 months via Court of Appeal judgement in December 2015.
Currently appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari as Member of the Governing Board of National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in this interview says the question is not whether his party will defeat opposition People Democratic Party (PDP) and others in the impending November 16 governorship election, but the margin.
- Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Bello*
Excerpts:
QUESTION: THE OPPOSITION PDP SAID THAT THE EMERGENCE OF GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO AS THE APC CANDIDATE HAS MADE IT EASIER FOR IT TO WIN AT THE POLL, SAYING THAT PEOPLE WILL REJECT HIM AT THE POLL BECAUSE OF HIS NON PERFORMANCE. WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THIS?
RESPONSE: That’s a huge joke coming from the PDP in Kogi State.
In fact there’s no aspirant in the opposition party, ie PDP that can defeat His Excellency, Alh Yahaya Bello and the APC in the coming election.
Not even Engr Wada that emerged as their questionable candidate in the coming Nov 16th 2019 gubernatorial election in Kogi State.
PDP as a party is in disarray in Kogi State.
This is because everyone of their key elements are fighting for themselves, and their immediate family, and not the overall progressive interest of the vast majority of our citizens in Kogi State.
They have merely turned Kogi State into family socio-economic political chess game, where father and son are fighting to force their personal choice of candidate on us on one side, and elder brother and the junior one from same family frantically trying to outdo each other as par whose choice of candidate must prevail. And or inlaw versus inlaw kind of political brawl.
The PDP in Kogi State is a symbol of acute failure overtime, and their quest to establish family political dynasty in a diverse social settings like ours is bound to fall like pack of cards.
And this is the foundation of their impending failure and in the years to come.
This scramble for the apple pie in the PDP by their so called well to do leaders, has fragmented them to the extent that our victory over them in the coming election will be devastating.
PDP in Kogi State will be defeated in such a convenient and humiliating manner that they will not be able to challenge our victory at the election tribunal.
QUESTION: SOME OF THE ASPIRANTS, INCLUDING ADMIRAL USMAN JIBRIN RTD AND ALH MOHAMMED AUDU, SON OF THE LATE PRINCE ABUBAKAR AUDU WERE PERCEIVED TO HAVE BEEN UNJUSTIFIABLY SCREENED OUT FROM CONTESTING THE GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARY. ARE YOU NOT MINDFUL OF A POSSIBLE BACKLASH?
RESPONSE :There’s none among these mentioned individuals who were disqualified that has come forward to present to the party any concrete evidence that they were unjustly disqualified from partaking in our party primary election in which His Excellency, Alh Yahaya Bello emerged victorious.
APC just like all other political parties have laid down rules and procedures for obtaining and filling their nomination forms.
Where some candidates did presented unconvincing records of their personal records and bio-data, can you then blame Governor Yahaya Bello or the party for such inadequacies from them?
Some of these people were never bonafide or financial member of our great party, but simply rush to purchase the APC nomination forms hoping to run on an outdated distasteful ideas that only candidate from a particular part of our State can stand and win gubernatorial election in Kogi State.
To some whom we toiled in the 2015 election for their late father, they were of the opinion that we’ll line up behind them again. This is where they got it wrong.
Late Prince Abubakar Audu was a leader with distinction and we followed him. His political shoes are just too wide for any of his children and or his brother whom we never know with our leader while he was alive, to wear at this time.
We don’t believe in political family dynasty either in PDP and or APC in Kogi State.
This coming election will settle some of these issues by the grace of Almighty Allah.
Coming to the question of backlash, let me allay any concerns in the above regard, that most of these people were not actively involved in the last general election process in Kogi State, where our party recorded tremendous success under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello and Chief Edward Onoja.
They thought by their non-participation in that election, APC will not do well.
And their absence was a great mark for us, for if they had been involved, they would have claimed credit of our political victory.
I’m not implying that, they are irrelevant, but if they wish to be of any political substance in our State as we head towards the Nov election, it is in their best interest to join our moving train which is heading for triumphant victory.
QUESTION: KNOWING FULLY WELL THE ROLE OF ETHNICITY IN THE STATE, THE PDP CAME UP WITH A CANDIDATE FROM KOGI EAST, TO EXPLOIT THE NUMERICAL STRENGTH OF THE IGALA PEOPLE.
HOW IS THE APC GOING TO COUNTER THIS?
RESPONSE :The Nov 16th election in kogi State is going to represent the followings, one, incumbent with experience against the unknown and the questionable.
Two, Governor Yahaya Bello and APC which symbolizes unity, as against the PDP and it’s candidate that believes that one family is destined to govern forever in kogi State.
Three, GYB is a symbol of youthful empowerment across the Kogi State, as against the PDP and it’s candidate which held on to placing the younger generation in our State to the background in perpetuity.
Today in kogi State so many young people in kogi State has broken the ceilings by virtue of Governor Yahaya Bello’s government policy of giving the youths preference in terms of appointments and recognition.
Four, under Governor Yahaya Bello’s administration, the erstwhile cries of ethnic marginalisation is gone with the winds.
That’s, while GYB believes in competence and quality of mind, the opposition party, which is, PDP is clinging to ethnic considerations in most of her choices and decisions.
And this easily explains why they found no other competent person from the other two Senatorial Districts to run on the ticket of their party, except an Igala man, Engr Wada.
Five, GYB and APC represent the oneness of kogi State as one big family, while the PDP and it’s candidate is clothed with outdated ethno centric ideologies.
PDP will be easily defeated in the coming election for picking Engr Wada, a junior brother of the Former Governor of the State who failed in all ramifications when he held sway for good four years in kogi State.
The poor record of the senior Wada is enough to end the political adventure of this younger one being presented by the PDP.
We will not allow the son of former Governor Ibrahim Idris to force his candidate upon us, just like the manner he did with Capt Idris Wada in 2011/2012.
Kogi is for all kogi citizens, not for in-laws.
Other brilliant and tested capable young men and women are abound in all the three Senatorial districts in Kogi who are competent enough to govern our State. This cannot be an exclusive preserve of just one or two families.
Governor Yahaya Bello is the most preferred beautiful bride in the coming election for the fact that serious political leaders from Kogi West Senatorial district are quite aware that his successful re-election for second term is the most favourable and nearest to their people having a practical taste of Lugard House, meanwhile his huge faithful and trustworthy followers from Kogi East are working with much zeal in order to see to it that political power is back to them in four years time.
So it’s work and reward time as we all strategise for the Nov election in Kogi State.
Our victory in the coming election will be total.
QUESTION: WHAT DEVELOPMENT HAS THE APC BEING ABLE TO PUT ON GROUND TO SPEAK FOR IT AT THE POLL?
RESPONSE :So many roads have been completed in Kogi East and many ongoing have reached advance stage.
In Kogi Central, huge road construction have been accomplished too.
We just saw the Governor last week on site tour of the gigantic Kogi rice at Ejigba in kogi West which is being set up in tandem with President Buhari drive towards local food production as part of the Next-Level agenda and this is coupled with many other ongoing road construction in this political senatorial district.
This young Governor did not concentrate these projects in his enclave as against what previous Governors before him did during their time.
Governor Yahaya Bello has commenced a positive generational change in terms of human development.
Today his achievements in this regard is unparalleled.
Governor Yahaya Bello’s decisive intervention in curbing our terrible security situation when he assumed duty was quite commendable, and his committed efforts has made Kogi State a none fertile ground for criminals.
We should not forget that the primary purpose of Government is the protection of lives and property. And GYB has attained distinction in this area.
The Governor personally led security forces to chase out known criminals and their properties destroyed in line with our State Anti-thuggery and kidnapping law across the three senatorial districts.
There’s religious harmony in Kogi State, while the citizens local culture are being treated with commendable respect.
The Kogi State traditional institution was not left out by this new direction government of Alh Yahaya Bello.
Traditional Chiefs who were abandoned by previous Governors have been evenly promoted across the State without sentiments.
Don’t forget that this Governor is the only one with courage to have wipe out the scourge of ghosts from our State workforce.
Those who benefits from this in the past, and who are in minority, in and or outside our State are not happy about this, and will continue to shout on top of their tiny selfish voice against the government of GYB.
The Governor has paid all genuine State workers and pensioners upto date.
If any Kogi State worker is claiming otherwise, he or she is either economical with the truth, or may probably have been weeded off from the payroll for certain infractions which have been communicated to them.
The third category are the mischief makers.
These are set of people whose dirty duty is to cast aspersions on the government of our State as if we’re doing nothing positively to uplift the quality of life of the vast majority of our people.
We will defeat them by the grace of God.
Kogi State has attained political relevance with high balance at the National scene due to the effective leadership qualities of Governor Yahaya Bello.
QUESTION: CRIES OF MAGINALIZATION BY THE OLDER POLITICIANS IN THE APC IS CONSIDERED A CHALLENGE FOR THE PARTY, AHEAD OF ELECTION.
HOW HAS THIS BEEN RESOLVED?
RESPONSE :The internal conflict within the APC has been totally resolved. I was invited by His Excellency, Alh Yahaya Bello to be part of the reconciliation committee which went round the State towards bringing every members of the party together.
We achieved success in this regard before the last general elections which also translated to the outstanding electoral success that our party APC recorded in the 2019 election.
The previous State Exco led by Alh Haddy Ametuo who went to court has embraced peace, leading to the withdrawal of their matter from the court.
As at present APC is one big united happy political family in kogi State. And this was due to the effective leadership exhibited by the Governor.
The interesting thing is that many PDP leaders with their followers are decamping into APC in our State today as we head towards the Nov 16th election.
The coming election is not whether are we going to win, the huge margin is what we’re working on at present.
We’re comfortably ahead of the PDP and all other mushroom political parties in kogi State in all fronts.
QUESTION: ALLEGATIONS BY THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR, SIMON ACHUBA THAT THE GOVERNOR WAS TARGETING TO ELIMINATE HIM, AND SUNDRY OTHERS, IT’S BELIEVED WILL TELL ON THE PARTY’S FORTUNE AT THE POLL.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THIS?
RESPONSE :It’s unfortunate that Mr Simone Achuba has driven himself into this political cul-de-sac. Since he came out to lay all these unsubstantiated allegations, he has been going about his normal life without any threat from either the Governor or any other source. So also the rest of us are not facing any danger or threat to our lives from the Governor as alleged by him. In fact all opposition party leaders and their followers are going about their daily business in kogi State without hindrance from kogi Government as ably led by Alh Yahaya Bello.
My advice for Mr Achuba is to resign and leave the scene quickly in order to save his face from grievous falsehood.
May be he thought he was still a member of the Kogi State House of Assembly, an institution he left many years ago.
I said this, because from all his public comments, only a member of the State legislature who is clothed with legislative immunity can face his Governor in the manner he did.
More so when he couldn’t substantiate any of his claims.
A member of the Executive arm who in my opinion decided to go the way he did should have resigned and present his case to the public, and even submit his petition to the anti-graft agencies if any.
His various media outbursts contravened our Nation’s constitution of which he swore to uphold.
All his futile efforts amount to gross misconduct in accordance with the provisions of our constitution.
You can’t be perpetual beneficiary of a government, and yet working hard to undermine it at the same time.
To remain an opposition within the government is nothing short of ingratitude to the man who brought him to his current political status.
I particularly thank Almighty Allah that He gave a better substitute in the person of Chief Edward Onoja.
This is another young man in our State whose outstanding performance has amazed me personally.
Chief Edward Onoja is better by far.
With him as the Deputy Gubernatorial candidate to Governor Yahaya Bello in the coming Nov 16th election in kogi State, we shall attain victory without stress.
All indices in kogi State as we head towards the Nov election are in favour of Governor Yahaya Bello and Deputy Governor to be Chief Edward Onoja by the grace of God.