Kogi Patriotic Group (KPG) has warned President Mohammadu Buhari not to allow Kogi Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello ride on his influence to secure a second term.
According to the spokesman of the group, Abdul Abdul, democratic environment in Kogi state is now a war front because of Bello’s desperation to secure a second term in office.
Abdul said the warning became neccesary in view of subtle moves by the governor to deceive the President and downplay growing opposition against his candidature, owing to poor leadership qualities and maladministration in the state in the last three years.
He said Bello’s recent visit to Aso Rock is aimed at ensuring he gets the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket through the back door.
The KPG spokesman urged Buhari and APC leadership to insist on a level playing ground during party primaries to ensure internal democracy thrives so as to produce the best candidate that will redeem the image of the party in Kogi state.
Abdul said it is already in the public domain for the President’s consumption that Governor Yahaya Bello can not win the re-election in November, if availed the APC ticket. He argued that the best option is to pick a better candidate among other contestants who is deemed fit to move Kogi from the doldrums of bad leadership.
“President Buhari cannot feign ignorance of how the last elections were desecrated by armed thugs sponsored by Kogi State government that witnessed killings and maiming of innocent citizens. A lot of the electorate were disenfranchised and prevented from voting by top government officials including local government administrators, special advisers, commissioners and senior special assistants to the governor armed to teeth with unliencenced AK47 and Pump action guns.
“President Buhari should allow the party decide what is best for the state under APC rather than supporting ‘the good boy’ who has added no value to the state in the last three years.
“Under governor Yahaya Bello, a lot of social, economic and political values hitherto cherished in the state has collapsed through deliberate efforts to perpetrate his government in power for another four years, without plans to move the state forward.
“With the type of political sham carried out by the present administration under the guise of winning all the elections, if Bello is allowed to fly the APC ticket, November governorship election will turn to civil war if care is not taken,” he said.
Abdul alleged that the governor is recruiting more dangerous thugs and fake uniform men to achieve his political goal of self perpetuation.
“It will be in the best interest of the people of Kogi state to allow internal democracy and a level playing ground for all governorship aspirants in the party.”
