The National Chairman of Network for Change and Good Governance (NCGG), Comrade Ismaila Yusuf Atumeyi, has congratulated Prince Abubakar Audu on his emergence as governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, but noted that he will lose November 21 election to incumbent Governor Idris Wada.
Brutally frank Atumeyi, in a chat with Kogireports, said Prince Audu has been a political failure since 2003 and will face yet another defeat this year.
According to him, Kogi state cannot afford to go back to the era of arrogant governance.
“I congratulate Audu because he fought gallantly against 27 aspirants and emerged winner from a very transparent and fair process. He deserves kudos for this feat. But let me say without ear or favor that Audu’s legacies and structures are collapsing. His once virile political structure had since been eroded over time. His stature in the state has reduced abysmally since he left government”, he said.
“Wada is a humble manager of resources who is running government with human face. If you add up all allocations from federation account from January 2012 till date and remove monthly salary of N3.2 billion from the total, you will appreciate Wada better”
“With little resources, Wada has completed most of the projects inherited from previous administrations in the state and he is now initiating new projects across the state. The Kogi House project in Abuja is a laudable one that his main opponents applauded. The on-going reconstruction of moribund Kogi Hotels, the nearly completed medical diagnostic centre in Lokoja, the on-going reconstruction and modernization of the main road across Lokoja attests to this man’s vision and proper management of resources”
“We at NCGG does not know Wada and Wada himself has never met with any of our members. We are not jobless political lackeys but professionals in diverse fields. We don’t need Wada’s money but we are interested in the progress of Kogi state”
“I, Comrade Atumeyi have been a vocal critic of Wada’s administration without fear but after 3 years in office, I reviewed his activities and can boldly say anywhere, like Abubakar Audu once affirmed, that Wada is God-sent to Kogi state”
Atumeyi also warned the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, not to make the mistake of dashing out the party’s ticket to Alhaji Jibrin Isa Echocho. He urged PDP not to be seduced by rejected politicians who are seeking a launch back into Kogi politics through the candidature of Echocho. “This idea will not fly. NCGG has come out openly to support power shift in 2019 and Echocho’s candidature will be viewed by other districts in Kogi state as an affront to power shift. This is a highly volatile issue that can lead to crisis”. he concluded.
