Category: Kogi/Bayelsa 2019

By James Azania, Lokoja

Ahead of next Saturday’s governorship and Kogi West Senatorial elections, the Ohinoyi of Ebira land, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim, has once again appealed to politicians to eschew politics of bitterness and hatred.

He advised them to rather direct their thinking towards the development of the state.

The paramount ruler made the call on Saturday in Okene, when members of the Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI) paid him a courtesy visit, as part of the Kogi East and Kogi Central Senatorial Town Hall Meeting.

The town hall meeting was organised to sensitise voters and party officials on the need to promote peace, and shun all forms of violence before, during and after the election.

Ibrahim said politics should not be seen as a theatre of war for dividing the state, adding that politicians in the country lacked righteousness, the hallmark for national development.

Read Also: IGP deploys 35,000 policemen in Kogi

He said Kogi State would remain one indivisible entity.

According to him: “A state or nation can fall when the people no longer believe in themselves or trust one another.

“If politicians have been righteous from the beginning, there won’t be any need to campaign against violence in election.

“No nation needs a leader that will make them slaves. All we want is peace and not war. It is high time every citizen came together to think of how we will move forward.

“Anyone instigating the other to cause violence in Kogi State should have a rethink, because we are all brothers and sisters in the sight of God.”

By James Azania, Lokoja

Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has warned opposition parties against alleged plans to import thugs from other states to unleash terror and disrupt next Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

Bello, who is also the candidate of the ruling APC in the November 16 governorship election, gave the warning in Ayingba, at the weekend, during the Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency rally of the party ahead of the poll, saying that no amount of evil and sinister plans could hamper the integrity of the process.

He warned that anyone caught fomenting trouble would be made to answer to the law.

According to him: “It is only a bastard that will invite a foreigner to come and kill his people because of election.

Read Also: Bello ‘importing’ armed thugs to Kogi, PDP alleges

“Please, do me a favour- youth, women and residents of Igala kingdom- you know yourselves. Do not take the law into your hands. We are not unaware of their plans to import into Kogi State mercenaries from Port Harcourt (Rivers), Nasarawa, Ekiti, Kwara, Taraba and Agatus from Benue State.

“I am assuring them, if they have ever succeeded in doing that in other states, Kogi State November 16 governorship election will be an exception and it will be the last state they will ever intrude to cause mayhem during election. We are resolute to maintain and sustain the existing peace in the state.

“The forthcoming election is about the future of the people of the state and I am optimistic that APC will win the election conveniently, because the youths and women in the state have said no to political godfatherism, where governance is being transferred from father to son, from in-law to another in-law.”

He said if re-elected, his second term would witness tremendous achievements, especially in the area of youth empowerment; to engage them meaningfully to have a brighter future.

“Our second tenure will focus on human capital development, education, security and infrastructure development to improve the living standard of the citizens,” Bello said.

By Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the November 16 election in Bayelsa State, Chief David Lyon, at the weekend, accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of executing many cruel policies, which he will reverse, if elected.

Lyon said the PDP policies had exposed the people of the state to severe hardship.

“Most people can no longer afford school fees for their children and wards as a result of salary deductions and non-payment of pension arrears. This situation will be tackled when my administration comes on board,” he said.

He alleged that security challenges and the poor management of state resources by the current administration had forced many businesses to relocate to other states.

“The problem of insecurity will require the support of the youths, women and traditional rulers to get rid of and together, we can put a stop to it,” he said.

Read Also: Jonathan keeps PDP guessing one week to Kogi, Bayelsa elections

Lyon appealed to the people of the state to join hands with him to stop the hunger and backwardness that the PDP government had subjected them to.

Lyon spoke at receptions when he led his campaign train to different parts of Southern Ijaw, his local government area in the state.

During the campaigns, he also received royal blessings from his Olodiama clan, when the King of the community, King N.S. Orianzi and traditional rulers of the nine communities in the clan, including Olugbobiri, Lyon’s community, prayed for his victory.

Speaking on behalf of other monarchs at the king’s palace in Olugbobiri, the clan’s Prime Minister, Job Ayawei, told Lyon to go, win and bring development to the state.

In Amassoma, the community of the late former governor of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeiseigha, residents came out en masse to receive Lyon and his running mate, Senator Biobarakumo Degi.

Speaking in Amassoma, the host community of the state-owned Niger Delta University (NDU), Lyon condemned the gradual and systematic destruction of the university by the PDP government.

He described the NDU as a pride of the Ijaw race and lamented the astronomical school fees slammed on students of the institution by the PDP government.

He regretted that many students dropped out of NDU because of high school fees, saying the institution would occupy a pride of place in his government, when elected.

Lyon said he was deeply touched by the plight of the students of NDU and promised to pay outstanding bursary arrears, when elected into office.

He said many prominent Ijaw sons died in the struggle to liberate the Ijaw man from abject poverty and observed a minute silence in honour of the late Alameisegha and the three youths, who died during a peaceful protest against increase of school fees and the sacking of workers in NDU.

Highlight of the occasion was the conferment of a chieftaincy title, Amaebidouwei 1 of Ogboin Clan on Lyon by the Ibenanawei of Ogboin Clan.

By Gbade Ogunwale, Abuja

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday said that it will overrun Governor Yahaya Bello and his All Progressives Congress (APC) in the November 16 governorship election in the state.

The main opposition party said not even the threats of violence from the governor and the APC will deter it from sweeping the votes in all the senatorial zones, including the governor’s Kogi Central Senatorial Zone.

In a statement by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party decried alleged threats by the governor to unleash violence and disrupt its campaigns in the Central Senatorial District.

“The fact is that already, Governor Bello is distressed by the massive support the PDP and its candidate, Musa Wada, have been enjoying in the central district and across the state,” he said.

The PDP also condemned the violent attack on the state secretariat of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) allegedly by APC thugs and urged the police to bring the perpetrators to book.

Read Also: Kogi election: Onoja to Kogi youths, don’t allow anyone to enslave you

The statement said: “As a party, we have it on good authority how Governor Bello and his agents have been threatening the lives of PDP leaders in Kogi Central, all in their failed bid to instill fear in the people and frustrate our campaigns in the area.

“However, the PDP cautions Yahaya Bello and his party to note that nothing will stop our party and the people’s candidate, Engr. Musa Wada, from campaigning and consolidating our support in Kogi Central and across the state.

“The people of Kogi State are on the move with the PDP in their readiness to confront and dismantle the machinations of Yahaya Bello and no amount of violence and death threat can change this resolve.”

The party called on the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, and the military hierarchy to note how the governor had turned the state into a theatre of war and making life unsafe in the state.

The statement added: “Our party draws the attention of security agencies to reports that APC and agents of Governor Yahaya Bello have a training ground for thugs in Kogi Central District, who would be later armed with dangerous weapons to perpetuate violence during the election.

“There are also reports that the APC and agents of Yahaya Bello are sewing fake military, police and Civil Defence uniforms to be used by their thugs to cause mayhem during the election.”

The PDP charged the police and military authorities to call the governor and the APC to order as well as to take urgent steps to ensure adequate security to safeguard lives and property in the electioneering time frame.

The party called for the immediate arrest of a former security aide to the governor, who had continued to remain in the state despite his transfer to Lagos State, a few weeks ago.

The PDP hinged its call for the arrest of the said security aide on reports that he’s being used by the governor to compromise the security architecture of the state and aid the APC to perpetrate violence and all sorts of manipulation in the electoral process.

“Our party urges the IGP to immediately arrest and relocate the said former ADC as the people of Kogi State are ready to confront any irresponsible officer who is working against their interest in this election,” the statement added.

By Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa

All Progressives Congress (APC) at the weekend accused the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of printing fake ballot papers and other sensitive electoral materials inside the Bayelsa State Government House to manipulate the November 16 governorship election.

The APC said its preliminary investigations showed that the printing of the electoral materials started a few days ago in a hidden section in the Government House in Yenagoa and had reached an advanced stage.

A member of the Security Committee of the APC Campaign Council, Ebimobowei Tamarapriye, in a statement in Yenagoa, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the police and other security agencies to investigate the allegations.

Read Also: Bayelsa: Lokpobiri directs supporters to vote for APC

The statement also asked agents of the Federal Government to confiscate the printed ballot papers and other sensitive materials to stop the alleged confusion planned by the PDP.

The statement said: “Information at our disposal indicates that the process of printing of the said electoral materials has reached an advanced stage within Government House. No doubt, this is a very weighty information that needs to be investigated with utmost urgency by INEC and all relevant security agencies as it has the capacity of snowballing into a major crisis.

“This, no doubt, is a very crucial period in the annals of our state as we go to the polls to elect a new governor. It is, therefore, quite worrisome that the state government and its party have chosen this ignominious path obviously to upend the electoral wishes of our people who have, for about eight years of the restoration government, been dehumanised and forced to accept poverty-induced despair as a way of life.

“It is also shocking that a party that claims ownership of structures strong enough to win the forthcoming elections has condescended to the lowest moral state of printing electoral materials for no other reason than thumb printing same, entering results and compromising INEC staff to accept same as authentic results.

“This desperation on the part of the state government and the PDP is birthed on the very clear signals, which indicate that, indeed, the masses have, from their deepest recesses, desired a change. As stated earlier, we once again, urgently ask all relevant agencies to step into the matter with a view to allowing democracy to thrive.”

By Our Reporter

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Saturday expressed concern over attack on the Kogi State secretariat of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) by thugs alleged to the loyal to a political party.

PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, urged the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, to bring the perpetrators of such a heinous crime to book.

Ologbondiyan also condemned the threats of violence on the PDP, noting that such would never deter the party from attaining victory in the November 16 governorship election.

Read Also: PDP on panic mode ahead of Bayelsa poll, says APC stalwart

He said that the party’s position was predicated on reported threats by a governorship candidate and his party to unleash violence and disrupt PDP campaigns in Kogi Central Senatorial Zone.

The PDP spokesperson said such person was apparently distressed by the massive support the PDP candidate, Mr. Musa Wada, was enjoying across the state.

He said that the people of Kogi were on the move with the PDP in their readiness to confront and dismantle planned violence.

He also called the attention of security agencies to reports of a training ground for thugs in Kogi Central District.

He urged the Inspector General of Police and the military hierarchy to immediately call Governor Yahaya Bello and the APC to order.

Ologbodiyan also called for  urgent steps to ensure adequate security to safeguard lives and property in the run-up to the November 16 election in the state.