… allegations baseless and unfounded – Govt.
Renowned blogger, Comrade Austin Okai, has accused Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello of attempting to swap the computer used in his double voter registration saga.
Okai, who spoke during Eid in Lokoja, called for an overhaul of INEC workers in Kogi to stem further manipulations.
He maintained that the governor is running around to repair his image, following global condemnation of his double registration.
His words: “The current impasse on Governor Yahaya Bello’s double registration is a pointer to the lack of confidence in INEC, both in Kogi and the headquarters, in future elections. I urge INEC to replace all card readers meant for kogi elections in the future.”
Okai added that the investigative panel compounded the scenario with their plans to swap the laptop used for the registration.
According to him, the data on the laptop was deleted and the Electoral Officer, Mr. Ajani, brought another for scrutiny.
Okai challenged INEC to request for the laptops in Lokoja council and recall the HOD ICT and VOTER Registry, the accountant and Administrative Secretary, whose complicity is obvious through inducement from the government, for investigation.
But Governor Bello, through his Director General on Media and Publicity, Kingsley Fanwo, described the allegation as characteristic of the author and his sponsors. “It is baseless and unfounded”, he said.
His words: “If Governor Yahaya Bello is not popular, why are they jittery? The governor is not prepared for the 2019 politics yet. He has a mandate to discharge and he will work for the people until his last day in office.
“It is unfortunate that the social media has provided a platform for such an unintelligent allegation. We do not have to react to such. Governor Yahaya Bello does not work in INEC and clear statements have been made that the governor was in Dubai on the said day.
“INEC has not started registering people offshore and it is free to investigate any issue that affects it.
“The governor is committed to fulfilling his obligations to the people. He is busy building roads, schools, hospitals and making agriculture the epicentre of our economic prosperity. These are the issues that can attract the attention of the governor.
“The media should concentrate on development rather than promoting irrelevant issues. We want the media to partner us to take Kogi to new heights.”
Credit: Nation
