Former governorship aspirant under Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Jibrin Isah Echocho has called it quits with Kogi politics.
His political cum business associate, Alhaji Abubakar Rajab made this known during a political review on a Kogi-based Whatsaspp Group – ‘Kogi State in Focus’ .
Rajab lamented the crisis that engulfed the party due to the confusion created on who was the authentic flagbearer of PDP for 2011 Kogi governorship election between Echocho and Captain Idris Wada.
He recalled a meeting between Wada, Echocho and national leaders of PDP where Wada kept emphasizing that he got his mandate through the judiciary.
“It was only IJN (Hon. Paul Gowon Haruna) that spoke reasonably. Every other person in that (meeting) was hypocritical in their submission”, he said.
“We can not continue to fight forever. Immediately they gave that judgement the first person that called was Muazu (former PDP national chairman) and begged Echocho not react to the judgements. That he will summon Wada for a reconciliation meeting which he did but Wada (was) despondent. If wada had implemented the agreed terms wallahi we would have been in the same political family by now. His so call supporters advised him not to empower Echocho in preparation for the next election.
” Many of us does not know this man called Echocho. Very soon we shall all who the man is. Politics has made nonsense of him but thank he has finally quit politics.
“What you don’t know is that Echocho will at any point in time prefer a place where he can exercise his professionalism.
It is an underutilization of skill to have a personality like Echocho being a governor of a state. He should be in forefront of our economic rehabilitation. Anyway, to me that was the major mistake of Alhaji Wada
“We were in Wada’s house for a reconciliation. We agreed on many issues but later on sycophants prevailed over him and he turned down all that we had agreed. They said he got his mandate from the court and so he does not need to reconcile with anybody just like the hypocrites are equally telling Bello now
However, Rajab’s claims were punctured by Barrister Kabiru Usman who was also in the reconciliation meetings.
According to Usman; “I don’t think it is fair to say that Gov. Wada was prevailed upon by sycophants to abandon the decisions arrived at the peace meeting. Alhaji Rajab, you know I was in the meeting which lasted till 12.30am and we agreed to set up a committee to implement decisions taken but some of us were surprised when you went on Facebook later that morning describing the meeting as a waste of time and insulting everyone from the Governor Wada camp. Your group refused to attend the second meeting and that was how the reconciliation collapsed”.
