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The Abubakar Audu Campaign Organisation on Sunday lambasted the Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, for an alleged appointment of 3,000 aides.
Mr. Audu is the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the forth-coming governorship election in the state on November 21.
The Director of Social Media to the APC candidate, Joel Odaudu, in a statement accused Mr. Wada of wasting over N1. 2 billion of Kogi funds as perk to the newly appointed aides.
Mr. Odaudu said the action underscores the self-serving and desperate bid for re-election by the governor.
“We will like to bring to your attention and that of the people of Kogi State how Governor Idris Ichalla Wada is wasting billions of naira of Kogi state funds in his self-serving and desperate bid for a re-election,” Mr. Odaudu said.
“This is in the face of the abject poverty and stringent economic climate his party and government have subjected the Kogi people during the four years of his failed administration.
Mr. Odaudu described the governor’s action as “conscienceless, outrageous, and the height of betrayal of public trust.”
He warned that no amount of back-room gimmicks and political shenanigans by the Wada government would stall the change that is due in the state.
He noted that the acceptability of the APC governorship and deputy governorship candidates has given birth to mass movement for change and nothing would stand on the way of the people.
“In the last one week, Captain Wada and the PDP have laboriously and thriftlessly spent over 1.2 billion naira of Kogi Tax payers’ money on fresh appointment of 3,000 Special Assistants, SAs, and Senior Special Assistants, SSAs, in a desperate bid to placate the already disenchanted men, women, and youth who are bent on voting them out of power in next month’s gubernatorial election.
“It is confounding and outlandish to see the government and its agents engage in appointment letter-sharing jamboree in the three senatorial districts, a promo which is being rejected by some prominent and selfless youth who mean well for our dear state.”
He made reference to the former President Jonathan Youth Campaign Coordinator for Kogi state, Godwin Edime, whom he said rejected Mr. Wada’s appointment as SSA with a whopping N420,000 monthly salary.
He noted that the appointment letters were still being shared across the state but urged the people to reject them.
He said the dissatisfaction of Kogi people for the Wada administration is so lucid one can almost touch with the hand.
Mr. Odaudu argued that the November 21 election is not about how much the governor can spend to keep himself and party in power, but a referendum on his (Wada) performance.
However, when contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, the Special Adviser on Media and Strategy to the Governor, Jacob Eddie, said the allegation was baseless.
He said the Audu Campaign Organisation is either acting in ignorance or in mischief.
“I want to deny totally the allegation that the governor appointed the number of aides you just told me about,” Mr. Eddie said.
“But I can tell you that when Audu was governor, the number of aides he had far out-number what he claims Mr. Wada has today.
“The issue in this election is very clear. It is between evil and good and the people of Kogi will not choose evil.”
When told that the Audu Campaign Organisation provided evidence of the new appointments by his principal, he said the governor has power under the law to appoint aides.
He noted that when Mr. Audu was governor, he did not appoint aides but slaves, adding that those he appointed worshipped at his feet.
“Audu appointed people who could not sit on the chair with him. They all sat on the floor while Audu alone sat on the chair. Audu appointed over 5000 slaves and used Kogi state funds to maintain them,” Mr. Eddie continued.
“He picked mechanics from the road and appointed them special advisers and the records are there. On the man who turned down his appointment, he is an adult.
“But I can tell you that he went through documentation before turning it down. Don’t forget we are playing politics and in it a lot of people play pranks.
“If he rejected an appointment, so be it. Anybody should be proud of being so recognised by his own state.”
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