The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, has advised Governor Bello to start preparing his hand-over notes, stressing that “whoever emerges in PDP primary election will defeat the incumbent who the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
Ologbondiyan gave this advise while responding to allegations of ethnic bias in the choice of preferred PDP candidate.
He accused the Yahaya Bello-led government of churning out fake news on ethnic bias. He noted that the recent fake news from Bello’s camp is a sign that they are afraid of PDP.
Ologbondiyan said, “In Kogi state, the PDP will remove Yahaya Bello as a united political party. And there is no division in the PDP Kogi state. What is happening is a normal democratic order, where interests contend, it’s normal.
“Whoever the PDP in Kogi elects as their candidate in governorship election will surely defeat democratically Governor Yahaya Bello. So, the people have been energised in the state. They have seen suicide, they have seen non-payment of salaries, they have seen a government that works for four years and yet they have no single project. They have seen looting; as such the people themselves are ready to vote out Governor Yahaya Bello.”
On possibility of vote-buying, Ologbondiyan said, “For outsiders who do not understand the character of Kogi people, this could mean something. The people of Kogi state are already fed up with Yahaya Bello. We are talking about a governor who couldn’t pay pension running to years. Some of our parents in Kogi state are being owed to the tune of 39 months’ pension; as we speak, there are arrears of salaries that have not been touched, people have been sacked for no just reasons from their places of work, the economy of the state has nosedived because civil servants who are supposed to ginger the economy of the state are not paid. The PDP will provide a better alternative to Yahaya Bello, so naturally the people of Kogi state will vote for PDP.
“And Kogi people for your information cannot be bought with money. They are not goods on the shelves that Governor Yahaya Bello will just wakes up and say if I pay this amount I will win. Don’t also forget that Kogi state has history of changing their governors at their convenience. In 2003, the late Prince Abubakar Audu was voted out of office because of non-payment of salary. So, the people of Kogi state have a natural way of determining who has done well and failed them and they will naturally replace anyone who has failed them.
“For the umpteenth time, let me assure GYBites that Kogi PDP stands united, indivisible and ready to energize and lead all Kogites to chase out GYB from Lugard House. The PDP primary election in Kogi State will be clean, clear, noble, transparent and generally accepted as the best when compared to the sham put together for GYB. November 16, insha Allah, is the historic date the people of Kogi will rescue our state from the stranglehold of GYB,” he said.
