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By Amuda Dan Sulaiman FAB.
Miffed by the claims that over 5000 persons from Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi state dumped the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC in the area, some indigenes of the community have reacted saying nobody left the party.
The indigenes who reacted on the backdrop of claims by some Governor Yahaya Bello’s aides, said what happened at Dekina on Saturday, December 16 was simply a ruse, adding that the governor hired some persons into the venue of the event to make it look as if they had huge decampees in the area.
A youth leader in Dekina community, Salifu Omale, noted that people in Dekina could not have trooped out, talk less of decamping to APC on the said day.
According to him, Dekina people are not happy with the government of Bello who they alleged has done nothing to improve their lives, either through empowerment or provision of social infrastructure.
He stated that the decampees, Jibril Isah Echocho and few others that the APC is celebrating were not members of the PDP.
He said Echocho came to the rally with only a handful of persons numbering about fifty as his followers, pointing out that the others at the event were government functionaries and hire crowd from the 21 local government areas.
Feelers from the community show that the people are angry with the government of Alhaji Yahaya Bello who they alleged has done nothing to improve their lives, either through empowerment or provision of social infrastructure.
According to them, the Bello administration is virtually non-existent in Dekina and its environs as the past two years of his administration has left the people in the worst forms of neglect and frustration.
Fuming, a youth of the community, Idachaba Onuche said, “if the cheap propaganda by Bello’s incompetent media aides was concocted to embarrass our PDP leaders, the plot was a woeful failure.”
Another member of the community, Alhaji Ademu Sulaiman, who responded to the inquiries of this reporter, said; “the decamping story does not in any way affect the PDP leadership in the area.”
Suleiman said; “We did not even notice them. We were all at one of our leaders residence here in Dekina where he once again carried out a highly successful empowerment programme for the people of his constituency. He gave tricycles, sewing machines, block moulding machines.
When a dancing youth was asked questions on the purported decamping of 5,000 people, he replied, “Pictures do not lie! You have seen all of us here uptil this moment. Let them show you the pictures of the said Dekina people”.
“Did you see any of the APC state executive members on the podium? Who then will present the party’s flag to the purported PDP decampees?” he asked.
A PDP faithful, Evangelist Felix Oguche, challenged the Governor to invest his time in more ‘fruitful’ ventures other than the “arranged” decampees and weekly political jamboree.
“Rather than bandying lies, we strongly advise the Bello’s spin doctors to worry about his battered credibility, clannishness and corrupt leadership.
“Governor Yahaya Bello on his own should in all sincerity be concerned about how to provide Kogites with good governance and delivering the dividends of democracy.
“Kogi state has a lot of challenges especially under him. For example, the issue of the non payment of workers salaries waiting for him to address.
Oguche alleged that the present state administration has impoverished Kogites more than ever experienced, in spite of the Governor’s prosperity for all mantra.
He said Bello should be worried that the people are lagging far behind even with the funds that have come into the state within the last two years.
“I am saying this to correct the erroneous impression that they are now celebrating. I just wonder why they think the PDP members in Dekina would be worried over the infinitesimal movements of some people who were never registered members of the PDP?”, Oguche queried.
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