Our attention has been drawn to a mischievous and malicious news item orchestrated to demean the person and office of the Honourable Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole and also to cause rancor among the rank and file of our great party APC in Kogi West Senatorial District and Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area written by one Oloniyo Niyi Joseph on behalf of Bunu Elites for Development and published by some online bloggers.
Dignifying such a post with a response wouldn’t have been necessary if not for the need to make facts available to the public and expose the falsehood put out by the writer and his sponsors.
It takes a but delusion for anyone to describe the congress that was adjudged by all stakeholders including INEC representatives as free, fair, credible and peaceful in the Kabba/Bunu and the entire Kogi West anything contrary.
Sane minds will wonder where did the word civil war come in if not that his sponsors are up to something that might be injurious to our great party, All progressive Congress in the nearest future in the state
As regards the issue of Odolu ward, the Speaker worked in line with the directive of the leadership of our party to affirm all existing executive members except those who are deceased, those on appointment and those that have left the party. It is in accordance with the directive that stakeholders of the party in the ward with the remaining 25 member executives signed for a particular candidate to replace their former chairman. The resolution did not go down well with the Special Adviser to the Governor, hence the disagreement which was resolved amicably without any misgiving except now that Commdr Omodara (rtd) and his cohorts are now airing their grievances by putting false narratives in the public space.
Where the issue of assaults came in is really baffling.
It is incontrovertible that, the All Progressive Congress in Kabba/Bunu already have existing leadership structure before the said Special Adviser joined the party after 2019 General Election and eventual appointment in 2020. So, it is false that the Special Adviser is the leader of the ward, though he is one of the stakeholders of the ward by virtue of his appointment in the state.
Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole is known to be a peaceful man, calm and humble; it is therefore surprising that the writer is relating an incident that has since been resolved amicably within the ward to the unfortunate assassination of late Chief Philip Olorunnipa in 2004.
One is left to wonder how the writer out of his trivialities and instigation forgot that Kiri people values their leaders irrespective of their party affiliations and as such will always wish the soul of Late Chief Philip Olorunipa is allowed to continue to rest in the bossom of the Lord, this part touches and is unacceptable, outrageous, provocative and sadistic.
We condemn this dangerous incitement and instigation with all our hearts and minds and insist that Kiri people knows better.
We want to say unequivocally that, Commander Jerry Omodara (rtd) is free to contest the Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency on any platform without using the Speaker as a ladder.
Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole has not declared his intention to contest for the federal constituency seat despite calls from the people of his constituency to show interest to contest.
Why the Speaker is now the target of everyone just because of his intimidating rising political profile that none of the wailers can withstand.
Rt. Hon. Matthew Kolawole’s giant contributions to the overall development of the area is there for the naysayers to see and humbly acknowledge.
It is on record that the Speaker spent well over three million naira to energize the electrification of Aiyede – Iluogun – Olle -Igboh communities in Bunu land, aside the grading of Aiyede – Ape –Igori – Ighun roads, the ongoing Cottage Hospital in Aiyede –Bunu Community and others too numerous to mention etc.
It is laughable for someone to attribute the abysmal performance of our party in the 2019 presidential and national assembly in Kogi West and indeed Kabba/Bunu to the leadership of the Speaker. It is on record that the speaker single handedly bankrolled Senator Smart Adeyemi’s campaigns programs across the fifteen wards in Kabba/Bunu and he is one of the leaders that overwhelmingly won in his unit and ward, compared to those that claimed to have not betrayed the party but could not win their units and wards for their own son to be in the House of Representatives.
It is a known fact that Rt. Hon. (Prince) Matthew Kolawole is one of the major financial members of the party that do contribute in no small measure to the overall success of the party in the area and he is an unapologetic follower of Governor Yahaya Bello’s quest to be president of the federal republic of Nigeria.
We hereby want to say unequivocally that the Speaker will continue to provide the needed representation for Kabba/ Bunu State Constituency, the right leadership for the Kogi State House of Assembly and Kogi West Senatorial District All Progressive Congress with other major stakeholders to move the party to an enviable height.
Signed:
Femi Olugbemi
Chief Press Secretary to the Honourable Speaker,
Kogi State House of Assembly
