A group known as APC Mandate Defenders has faulted the claim of Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi state, that the COVID-19 vaccines are meant to kill people.
The governor, who has repeatedly disregard COVID-19 protocol and denied the existence of the virus, had told a crowd to reject vaccines because they are “meant to kill”.
“Vaccines are being produced in less than one year of COVID-19. There is no vaccine yet for HIV, malaria, cancer, headache and for several other diseases that are killing us. They want to use the (COVID-19) vaccines to introduce the disease that will kill you and us. God forbid,” the governor had said.
But reacting in a statement signed by Ifeanyi Emeka, its national publicity secretary, the group said the governor has a “right to be foolish” and that extending it to the pandemic will not be tolerated.
“Our attention has been drawn to the trending video in which Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State was seen telling his supporters not to accept the Covid-19 vaccines which the Federal Government has concluded arrangements to acquire and get Nigerians inoculated,” the group said.
“Governor Bello has the right to be foolish but extending such foolishness beyond his boundary will not be allowed or tolerated as the scourge of the virus increases across the country.”
The group said the COVID-19 vaccines to be administered to Nigerians will be subjected to the examination of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
The group said it is “desecration and disrespect” for Bello to say that the Buhari-led administration will introduce vaccines to kill Nigerians.
“Therefore, alleging that President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government wants to introduce vaccines to kill Nigerians in his unfortunate video is the high of desecration and disrespect for the Office of the President of the country,” the group said.
“It also amounts to insubordination as well as usurping the powers of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We can afford to allow Gov. Bello to continue with his foolishness unrestrained, but accusing the president of introducing vaccines in order to kill Nigerians will not be tolerated by any means because that is the highest form of incitement against Mr. President.
“In lieu of the foregoing, we are aware that the governor has been going round campaigning to become President and we have no problem with that at all, but inciting the Nigerian people against President Buhari and his government simply because he wants to succeed him in 2023 is unacceptable because he who must destroy another person for him to succeed must have destruction awaiting him at the point of his success.”
