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Tag: Kogi State

  • ‘Why PDP members will work with the Speaker of the House of Representatives’

    Mr. Teejay Yusuf (Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency of Kogi State), a third term member of the House of Representatives and one of the leading voices of the PDP House Caucus, acknowledges conflict of interest within the minority caucus and explains that while several members may have political differences and other issues with the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, constitutional reasons remain compelling basis for cooperation. He spoke with Assistant Editor, Jide Babalola. Excerpts

    Can you give an insight into what led to the seemingly irreconcilable disagreement among members of the PDP in the House over the choice of Minority Leader?

    The Parliament operates by laws, rules and conventions; where our rules do not explicitly provide we go back to our practices and conventions. I came to the House in 2011 and I know that Rules 7 (4), 7 (8), 7 (14) of our Rule Book specify that the Minority Leader shall be nominated from among members of minority parties.  Rule 7 (14) put it clearly that to be qualified for principal officer in the House, you must be a cognate member of the National Assembly for you to be appointed, that is the word used. So, my question is, if the drafter of the rule was expecting an election would he have put appointed? What has been the practice is that members of minority parties come together, the party provides leadership because if you just say members, who convokes the meeting? At the beginning of the session, there is no minority leader so, who calls the meeting? That was why the party called the meeting. What the party does first is to zone the offices to reduce the choice to zones most times; zones can agree to consensus or they go for election, the party then writes the Speaker to say so and so person is for so and so office. In 2011, it was the then Action Congress of Nigeria that wrote. There was Congress for Progressive Change, there was All Nigeria Peoples Party and others who were minority parties; they met, I don’t know what method they used but it was the ACN that wrote because it was the leading minority party and gave the name of Gbajabiamila as Minority Leader; gave the name of Samson Osagie as Minority Whip, gave the name of Kawu Sumaila and a member of the CPC from Kaduna was named as Deputy Minority Whip but it was the ACN that wrote. If you followed the events of 2015 very well, and the emergence of Bukola Saraki and Senate President, APC wrote the Senate President and proposed Lawan, Adeyeye and so on as leaders; he recognised three, minority whip, deputy leader and so on, but gave the position of Leader to Senator Ndume but it was the APC that wrote. However after about a year, something happened and they put Lawan there. In the House, Gbaja ran and lost to Yakubu Dogara who became Speaker; it was the APC who wrote and proposed Gbaja as leader. So, when people now say the party does not write I begin to wonder. As at the time the APC wrote, there was a division in the camp of Gbaja, Ado Doguwa was being proposed as leader; if they had voted, Doguwa would have won but the party insisted on Gbaja. So, in 2015 too we came together, we never voted, Leo Ogor emerged by consensus. The Southeast voted, Chukwuka Onyema emerged but it was still the party that wrote: both the members and the party worked together. In 2019, before the election, the party called us, they called the Senators. Look at how it went in the Senate – APC wrote, PDP wrote; in the Senate, you have more than one minority party but the PDP is the leading minority party; it reached out to other minority parties. The PDP first met and asked members who do you think should be Minority Leader? Consensus was arrived at and there Senator Abaribe emerged. The position of Minority Whip was contentious, (Gabriel) Suswam and (Philip) Aduda showed interest; if they were voting, Suswam could have won but the party advised that there should be a balance and a consensus was reached.

    In the House of Representatives, the PDP called a meeting of House members, incidentally, I was the secretary of the meeting; I have the records of the attendance; we were 96 in attendance. On the issue of minority parties, this was the choice of words, “we will not zone until you give us your minority leader, and we will now zone the other positions. We want you to give us your best.” Eleven members stood up and nominated Honourable Kingsley Chinda. A lot of things were said about him, how he stood by the party and what have you.

    So, Honourable Chinda is truly Governor Wike’s preference?

    There is this erroneous narrative out there that Governor Nyesom Wike was the one pushing for Chinda. The first person that proposed Chinda for us was former Minority Leader, Honourable Leo Ogor, and he met some of us. I, Teejay Yusuf, Ogor met me and others to canvass support for Chinda. Now, because Chinda is from Rivers State, a few think that he must be crucified. Go and check, in the history of the National Assembly since 1999, the Public Accounts Committee never submitted reports until Chinda became Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts. He broke the jinx and submitted reports. Remember, this is the only committee listed in the Constitution and it is the committee to review the Auditor-General’s report. Chinda became Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts in 2015 and laid the reports for four years; that is the kind of person he is. So, naturally, members were drawn to him. The leadership election has left a very huge division amongst us because I cannot go without saying we were divided because a lot went the other way to negotiate for themselves while others stood with the party position and lost out; so there is that acrimony. Those who negotiated for themselves had this fear that the party will persecute them because of that; they were edgy, which is natural. In 2015, APC never gave any person who voted for Dogara leadership positions: go and check, they gave to all who answered the party’s call. In 2011, when Mulikat Akande lost to Tambuwal, the party insisted on Mulikat as House Leader. It has become the norm that those who stand with the party are rewarded. So, when people say the party has no say, they are wrong! Maybe there was this fear that Chinda being a very loyal (PDP) party member, who is very principled, may punish those (PDP members) who disobeyed the party.

    So, it was not as if the APC orchestrated the differences or split among PDP members of the House…

    Without APC that gulf wouldn’t have widened. Those who would have built skyscrapers on it wouldn’t have had the foundation to build on. So, you cannot exonerate APC. We now have a Speaker and he too would want to play politics.  Quote me, one person nominated Elumelu (at our meeting) but it was taken at that meeting that Chinda was Minority Leader. We left but later, we began to hear some things and we didn’t take it seriously. The party called us again and called other minority parties – APGA, Labour Party, PRP and others. Other minority parties put together have about 20 members; the PDP had 129 or so. At the next meeting, APGA being another majority among the minorities led by Honourable Prestige from Abia, led these other minority parties to the meeting. They now came together and said ‘what is in it for us’? The party (PDP) appealed and said we have 129 members, if we are going to vote you won’t get anything; it will be one vote per person. Let’s see what we can do. They met with the proposed Minority Leader, Chinda, there and then and agreed on certain concessions and we all left happily. The narrative out there is that PDP sat somewhere and wrote but it is not true. We heard some people say they were with Chinda but when the majority moved, they also moved. It’s not true. The majority of those who voted the other way were from the Southeast because they said they wanted somebody else as Deputy Minority Leader to protect them. These were the people who fear that if they aligned with the party, they will be punished. Ordinarily there should have been a meeting but I didn’t hear of any of such and all of a sudden, we heard of people taking signatures to endorse Elumelu.

    Later, in the House, the Speaker read a letter which he said had “about” 90 members of minority parties who signed that those were their leaders. We moved a point of order referring him to a letter written by the PDP on the issue; what we expected him to have done is to say that since there were two lists, the minority should go and resolve among ourselves.

    APC once had a similar scenario, people were already taking signatures when the party wrote to do the same thing, but they resolved it, they made sure it didn’t get to the floor of the House.

    As for the new minority ones, they were going around collecting signatures with whatever inducement because there was no meeting. They still want to get that number even today. I have members they’ve approached; I have members they’ve even offered certain amounts of money to sign. I have some who have the money with them to testify.

    You’ve had sittings since Honourable Elumelu was recognized as Minority leader…

    It is by the leave of the Speaker. You must understand how these things are done.

    What is the next step for those of you who towed the party’s line; are you going to court to seek redress against the Elumelu minority leadership or will you just get used to that?

    The parliament has a way of purging itself; that is the truth. As civilized and law abiding members of the National Assembly, we’ve done what we ought to do; we’ve raised those fundamental issues and we have not been listened to. I will not go into snatching the mace, fighting on the House floor; we will continue to engage in intellectual discourse as to why my opinion is better. I have the conviction that the peace (in the House) is the peace of the graveyard. Anywhere you find injustice, peace is temporal, and it is for those who are involved to right the wrongs. The party has set up some committees to look into it. Just like APC did in 2015 and they refused to recognize Ndume, they recognised Adeyeye and others until Ahmed Lawan came on board as Senate Leader, go and find out.

    Are the opposition political parties going to cooperate with the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila in spite of what has happened over minority leadership?

    He (Gbajabiamila) is the Speaker of the House of Representatives. We must understand one thing, we were not elected by our people to be Speaker; we were elected to represent them. So, when we got here, it was for us to make law making conducive and we must have a leader. So, he (Speaker) is first among equals. Within the ambit of the responsibilities we have to carry out, we will work with the Speaker – that is the truth. I want to be on the floor to canvass things for my constituents and Nigerians as a whole. We must know that there are rules that guide our functions; I don’t have any doubt about that.

    However, I know that the party is working round the clock to see how to nip this (minority rebellion) in the bud.

    In view of APC’s determination to retain Kogi state, what are the chances of your party, the PDP in state’s coming gubernatorial next governorship election?

    Definitely, it is only in Nigeria that a party like APC can think of winning Kogi State; in other climes, they will not think of it. It is too much daring for APC to hope for anything in the next governorship election.

    Some have said that the problem we have in our polity today was caused by the fact that the PDP is not prepared for the role of an opposition party and that maybe the ruling APC has not had enough years and preparation to be the ruling party. Do you agree?

    No! However, unfortunately for us as a nation with all due respect, we have a President who is only interested in becoming President to get the feeling of “I’m president.” He ought to understand that there is responsibility that goes with being president. In the build up to the 2019 elections, I used to tell people that I wish the president didn’t contest. Sincerely, if we had a younger, more competent person, I would have preferred him and the issue of platform doesn’t matter. I am a PDP person; we need someone who will lead this country in a positive direction. There is nowhere in the world where one party rules in perpetuity; we should not expect it here. However when you have the opportunity, build on one of two positives that you meet and introduce some measures that will improve the lives of citizens. In my opinion, the administration we have today will take us 20 years backwards at this rate. The leadership of this present government is not prepared and equipped to lead this country; it is only well prepared to lead a movement to agitate for power.

    Yes, for the PDP, we still behave as if we are in government: that is exactly why what happened in the leadership election of the House happened.  In 2015, we had a retreat where we had people from Ghana who moved from being the ruling party to opposition and from opposition back to the party in government. We are not yet there, but I believe we will get there; I love the fact that we are in opposition right now but if we don’t learn the right lessons, the experience will be wasted.

    Even though your party was the main beneficiary of the situation in Zamfara State, would you say you have learnt a lesson or two from it?

    Let me tell you something, while we commend the judiciary for rising to the occasion, I can tell you if it does that with other states, the APC will lose more than half of the states they now control.

  • Kogi: Court restrains APC, others from taking final decision on method of primary

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained parties, in the suit challenging the planned adoption of the indirect primary mode by the Kogi State All Progressives Congress (APC), from proceedings with plans to reach final decision on the issue pending the determination of the suit.

    Justice Taiwo Taiwo issued the order on Friday, while ruling on an ex-parte motion filed in the suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/833/2019 by some members of the APC in Kogi –  Destiny Eneojoh Aromeh, Isah Abubakar, Noah Aku and Mrs. Joy Onu. The suit has only the APC as defendant.

    The judge said: “I have gone through the processes filed and digested the written address. I am of the view that, in view of the urgency of the matter and the pending motion for interlocutory injunction, it will be better to give accelerated hearing to the motion and the originating summons filed by the plaintiffs.

    “In the interest of justice, I will abridge the time within, which the defendant will respond to the main suit and the motion for interlocutory injunction, to 10 days, in view of the fact that, from the processes before me, the defendant’s primary is scheduled to hold on the 29th of August 2019.

    “Meanwhile, this court, in order for any of the parties, especially the defendant, not to foist a fait accompli on the court, hereby orders that nothing must be done with regard to the res (subject of the dispute) of this suit until the hearing of the originating summons and motion on notice for interlocutory injunction on the 19th of August 2019.”

    The plaintiffs had, in their ex-parte motion, prayed the court for an order of interim injunction, restraining the defendant by itself, its organs, agents or any person  from adopting the indirect mode of primaries for the nomination of the governorship candidate in the forthcoming governorship primaries of 2019 in Kogi, pending the determination of the motion on notice.

    The judge took arguments on Thursday on the ex-parte motion and fixed ruling for Friday.

    Before the ruling, Damian Dodo (SAN) announced appearance for the defendant (APC) and said his client was challenging the propriety of the proceedings conducted by the court the previous day, on the grounds that they were conducted in its absence, even when the relief sought by the plaintiffs was directed at it (the party).

    The judge however told Dodo that he would not allow his ruling to be arrested by anyone. He only recorded Dodo’s appearance for the APC and another lawyer, A. M. Adoyi (for party seeking to be joined) and then, proceeded to read the ruling.

    At the conclusion of the ruling, the judge directed parties to file all necessary documents before the next date, because he was willing to hear and determine the case on time.

    Read Also: Kogi APC suspends Deputy Governor Achuba

    The plaintiffs are, by the suit, seeking to, among others, stop the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) from adopting the indirect primary model to select candidate for the August 29 primary ahead of the November 16, 2019 governorship election in the state.

    They also argued that, in view of a pending case before another judge of the same Federal High Court, Abuja (Justice Okon Abang) in relation to the dispute over the leadership of the party in the state, it was wrong for a faction to take decision that will affect the entire party while the case was still undecided.

    Plaintiffs’ lawyer, Oluwole Aladedoye told claimed that his clients are elected State Executive (SEC) members of the defendant (APC) in 2018. “They emerged as elected. After the election, the governor (of Kogi State) set up a parallel exco, excluding the plaintiffs from participating in the nomination and the matter is still pending before Justice Okon Abang of this same court.”

    The plaintiffs want the court to determine whether the APC can adopt the indirect primaries with regard to the pendency of the suit filed by Haddy Ametuo, Salam Adejoh (suing for themselves and on behalf of other members) of the State Executive Council (SEC) elected on May 19, 2018.

    They are also praying the court to determine whether the involvement of persons claiming to be members of the Kogi SEC, during the pendency of the suit, in the nomination of the governorship candidate would not amount to interference with the judicial process and run against the principle of subjudice, which would render the outcome of such primary illegal, null and void.

    The plaintiffs are equally praying the court to determine whether the defendant can ignore the suit which seeks to determine the authentic members of the Kogi SEC, who constitute the delegates by adopting the indirect mode of the primary.

    Meanwhile, the APC has reacted to the suit and prayed the court to either strike the suit out or dismiss it on the grounds that, not only do the plaintiffs lacked the locusstandi to initiate the suit, the court also lacked the jurisdiction to hear it.

    In a notice of preliminary objection filed for the APC by Dodo, it was argued that the dispute as to the appropriate mode for the conduct of a political party’s primary election is an internal decision of a political party over which the court cannot exercise jurisdiction.

    The party added: “the plaintiffs filed this suit to challenge the decision of the National Working Committee of the defendant to adopt indirect mode of conduct of primary election in the nomination of its candidate for the governorship election in Kogi State.

    “The dispute as to the appropriate mode for the conduct of a political party’s primary election is an internal decision of the defendant’s National Working Committee. The plaintiffs do not have the requisite locus standi to commence and maintain this suit against the defendant.

    “The plaintiffs are not parties to the suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/581/2018 between Haddy Ametuo &1other v. All Progressives Congress & two others, which they hinged this suit on. The plaintiffs do not have the requisite locus standi to commence and maintain this suit.

    “The present suit is incompetent and rids this court of the requisite jurisdiction to entertain the suit. The plaintiff’s originating summons filed on 18th July2019 is an abuse of court process, having been accompanied by four different affidavits deposed to by four different deponents,” the APC said.

  • Kogi APC suspends Deputy Governor Achuba

    THE Kogi State All Progressives Congress (APC) has suspended the embattled Deputy Governor, Simon Achuba.

    Achuba was suspended for alleged “anti-party activities before, during and after the 2019 general election”.

    The party based the suspension on “some actions the deputy governor took that constitute an embarrassment to APC family in Kogi State”.

    Its chairman, Abdullahi Bello, at a news conference in Lokoja, said the party received several petitions from stakeholders in Iyano Ward, Ibaji Local Government Area, where the deputy governor hails from.

    He alleged that Achuba discretely and openly worked for candidates of opposition parties during the presidential, national and state assembly elections.

    Bello added that the activities of Achuba during the last elections were against the APC candidates while he (Achuba) held the position of deputy governor.

    He noted that the report of the disciplinary committee constituted by the Iyano ward and Ibaji Local Government of APC, which probed the crises in the area, allegedly indicted the deputy governor.

    Read Also: Kogi poll: What is Omebije up to?

    According to him, the disciplinary committee also recommended for his suspension to be followed by expulsion, if he did not show any remorse.

    He stated that the party’s state working committee, after deliberation on the recommendations of the disciplinary committee, resolved and upheld Elder Simon Achuba’s suspension until he responds to the letter that the party will serve him.

    “As we are all aware, the APC does not condone acts of indiscipline, indiscretion and anti-party activities from any party member; no matter how highly placed,” the chairman said.

    Bello said the deputy governor’s alleged “series of reckless, damaging and unsubstantiated allegations against the state government constitute a serious violation of Article 21A (ii), (v) and (vii) of the APC Constitution and amount to acts of disloyalty and embarrassment to the party”.

    He added that the decision of the state working committee will be communicated to the APC National Working Committee in due course.

  • Another 11 filling stations sealed in Kogi

    THE Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Kogi State has closed eleven filling stations across the state.

    According to the DPR State Controller, Amos Jokodola, the filling stations that were shut in an exercise during the week spread across the capital Lokoja, Obajana, lsanlu, Okene, Yagba East and Yagba West due to infraction.

    He stated that “their pumps were not accurate (under-dispense) or cheating the general public. The eleven marketers have been sanctioned in accordance with the regulation. The sealed stations shall remain closed until the marketers pay the penalties and submit a written undertaking not to cheat the consumers anymore.”

    Read Also: Kogi 2019: ‘Why we insist on direct primary’

    He added that 53 filling stations were visited in the state during the recent surveillance exercise.

    The shut outlets included Oduanyo Business Enterprises Investment (Egbe), Olubush (Isanlu), Ardor Oil and Gas (Obajana), Ebugrap (Obajana), NNPC Mega 1(Lokoja), Royal Confluence (Lokoja), Always (Okene), Total Plc (Okene), Nice Mohammed Petroleum Company (Lokoja), A.Y.M Shafa (Lokoja) and Sunchy Global Investment Resources (Lokoja).

     

  • Bello is after my life, says Kogi’s deputy governor

    Kogi State Deputy Governor Elder Simon Achuba raised the alarm over threat to his life.

    In an interview with reporters on Thursday at his official residence in Lokoja, the embattled deputy governor cried out to the Presidency and security agencies that Governor Yahaya Bello has detailed gunmen to kill him.

    He alleged that gunmen, on the instruction of Bello, were out to kill him, adding that the plans were no secret.

    But, the governor denied the allegation.

    The deputy governor said the insecurity in the state is not about kidnapping and armed robbery, but about gunmen in government.

    He warned against the prevalence of intimidation and the atmosphere of fear that pervades, alleging that gunmen have been mobilised to attack him.

    Read Also: Forum backs Yahaya Bello for second term

    He called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Inspector General of Police, and the Director State Security Service of planned attack on him, his aides, family members and workers.

    The deputy governor called on them to turn their focus on Kogi, saying that the rift between him and Bello, is about the issue of performance.

    He said the listing of payment of salaries as achievements means government is not working.

    Achuba added that payment of salaries is not an achievement but a duty of the government.

    He said that complain about the nonpayment of his salaries was earlier played up, pointing out that the non-release of impress to his office, which come with salaries of aides and workers attached to his office, was uncalled for.

    He, however, thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve.

    In a statement * yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary , Onogwu Mohammed , the government described the report as bogus and an exhibition of a blind rage by an angry suckling with a long-term pattern of abnormal behaviour characterised by exaggerated feelings of self-importance. ,

    “The Kogi State Government is appalled that a deputy governor, who should epitomise leadership and good example in all senses, could descend so low to employ smear campaign against the person of His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello and we state without equivocation that Mr. Achuba has no shred of evidence for his reckless surmising, which is nothing but a scripted venture in ruinous adventure.

    “We do not train assassins, (and) as such, the state government or her personnel cannot be involved in sending assassins to murder any human soul let alone a deputy governor of our dear state.”

    “Despite these unsubstantiated ramblings, however, we deemed it fit to clear the air by letting the general public know that the Kogi State Government would not be dragged into any form of political gerrymandering concocted for the furtherance of any person’s political interest or notoriety.”

    The state government challenged Achuba  to bring evidence of his claims or desist from making further spurious allegations.

     

  • ‘I’m stepping into late Audu’s shoes’

    Princess Hadiza Ibrahim, a governorship aspirant in Kogi State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says she is ready for the August 29 primary. She also speaks with Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI on the party’s preparations for the November 16 poll.

    How ready are you for the Kogi APC governorship primary?

    I’ve collected my nomination form; I have gotten my 21 local government coordinators; I have my three zonal coordinators and the women and the men are ready for me.

    There has been a controversy over the mode of primary; whether it is going to be direct primary or indirect primary. Which one do you prefer?

    I am comfortable with both mode of primary. Whichever way it is done, I am very confident that I would emerge victorious.

    Why are you so confident that you will clinch the ticket?

    Apart from the governor and me, most of the aspirants that collected the nomination form are new comers. I don’t think many of them are foundation members of the APC in Kogi. Anybody can take his N22 million and go and buy the form, but are they original members of the APC? There is a form you have to fill, indicating how long you have been in the party. Beyond the fact that they can cough out N22 million to go and buy the form, there are due process to be followed in deciding who will be the party’s flag bearer. It’s not just because you can afford to buy the form and say you want to be the governor. Such due process includes the fact that you must have been a member of the party for a certain period of time. You don’t just jump up to go and buy the nomination form. Otherwise, it means anybody can go and buy the form. If not, PDP members can buy the form and say they want to run on APC platform. I ran against the late Abubakar Audu, the governor, the late Ocholi and Yakubu Mohammed in 2015. Aside from the governor, all the others are not running this time around. I left a lady has just picked a nomination form this afternoon. I welcome her to the race, because she is a lady, but the truth is that I am six feet tall; she is not as tall as myself, so  will beat her in the race. I have long legs; anybody that has long legs usually performs well in a race.

    What is firing this passion?

    A trained journalist has the mind to lead; no fear or favour. That blood of a go-getter flows in me.

    Are you confident that the primary will be free and fair?

    I believe it would be free and fair, because Baba Buhari has assured us. The fact that I am a woman would not count against me. That Mama Taraba did not make it in Taraba does not mean that I will not make it in Kogi State. After the primary and the November 16 governorship election, I think I’m going to create history.

    Electioneering in Nigeria is so expensive. How are you coping?

    I have been a business woman for long. I have been in the business of selling cars and I have been in property business. I own a property in Karimu Kotun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. I have owned it as far back as 1988. I’m a neighbour to Alhaji Aliko Dangote and I’m a neigbour to Mike Adenuga. If, today, I want to sell my property, I would sell it for over N1 billion. But I’m not going to sell my property. I am going to fight, because I am capable. I’ve been helping my people and this is the time to rally them to support me. I will make it. I supported Baba Buhari’s aspiration, so this is the time for him to support me too. He sent Alhaji Lai Mohammed to me, to seek support for some publications and I obliged him.

    If you are given a chance, what specifically are you going to do to assuage the feelings of the people of Kogi?

    First and foremost, I will not owe salaries. The state’s infrastructure is in terrible shape; I will upgrade infrastructure. I will also focus on education and agriculture. I have my seven-point agenda.  Even if the state owes, as a successful businesswoman, there is a way to manage the state’s resources, so that no sector of the economy will suffer. One must succeed in one’s business before aspiring to govern a state. I have been selling cars since 1988 and I have not failed in that business. I have been in real estate and have also succeeded in that field.  Unlike many businessmen, I do not owe any bank. So, I am going there with a clean slate to help my people.

    What are the factors that will make APC win or lose on November 16?

    APC will win, because majority carries the vote.  When former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode failed to clinch the APC ticket in Lagos in the last general elections, he supported Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. That is what I expect Yahaya Bello to do. If he fails to get the ticket, he has to support me for the party to win. APC has two of the three senators from the state and most of the other lawmakers were elected on APC platform, so it is the party to beat in Kogi. If the late Audu had lived to complete his second term, he will support me. If Ocholi had been alive, he will support me. But, unfortunately they are no more.

    Are the other aspirants willing to step down for you?

    We have been talking; many of them are willing to step down for me. They say they believe in me. As said earlier, many of the people that picked the form were not part of us; they are all newcomers in the party.

    How formidable is your structure across the 21 local governments?

    Many of those who worked for the late Abubakar Audu are working for me today. I am stepping into the shoes of the late Audu.

    But we understand that one of his sons are contesting for the governorship ticket?

    The two sons are fighting over the ticket. But they are more or less my sons. The governorship is a serious business; it is not a child’s play. I don’t think any of them will get it; but their time will come.

    We understand that the attitude of Governor Yahaya Bello since he came to power has alienated people against the APC. How true is this?

    Since he came to power, he did not carry a lot of people along. He may not even remember me; some of us supported him four years ago. Though Dino Melaye is no longer in our party, but he was right when he said the governor is fighting all those who supported to come to power. I agree totally with him, even though he is now in the opposition. As a woman, if I had taken Yahya Bello to court, I would have won. He did not win any election; you can’t stand on the mandate of a dead man.  He was imposed on us.

  • I’ll revive Kogi economy in four years – Melaye

    Senator Dino Melaye, representing Kogi West Senatorial District at the National Assembly, on Wednesday, pledged to revive the state economy and bring it to an enviable height within four years.

    Melaye disclosed this at a media interactive organised by the Kogi State council of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) for governorship aspirants, at the NUJ Press Centre, Lokoja.

    Melaye, a governorship aspirant under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the state was blessed with abundant resources but regretted the pervading poverty and penury owing to maladministration and widespread corruption.

    While noting that countries now depended on ideas to revolutionise their economies, he promised that Kogi, under his watch, would not depend on handouts in form of monthly allocations from the Federation Account to survive.

    Melaye, who is the Senate committee chairman on aviation, said he would revolutionise agriculture and transform the abundant mineral resources in the state into tangible products that would earn the state good income.

    He said that through ideas, galvanised and harmonised by quality leadership, Singapore was transformed from a Third World country to an economically-advanced nation, while Dubai became a high income generating city in United Arab Emirate.

    Read Also: Melaye, Suleiman pick Kogi guber nomination forms

    “In four years, we will revive the economy of Kogi and the state will become the envy of others. I have gone round the world and I am sure that I have the necessary capacity and exposure to achieve this.

    “I am talking about Kogi State and the generations yet unborn. Let us have public nursery schools, develop education, health and other core sectors to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, and restore the middle class.

    “The paradox of Kogi is that in spite of our abundance, we are poor. Kogi is too rich to be poor. We have to prepare our youths for the future through ICT. Today, ideas have overtaken oil.

    “We are focused and intellectually mobile with vision and mission to drive the process.

    “I will operate Kogi like an independent country. Kogi occupies 30,354 square kilometres of land, with a population of about 4.7 million people,” he said.

    The senator, who disclosed that he would contest the presidency of Nigeria in the next eight years, stressed that his governorship aspiration was divine.

    “I am an emissary sent to emancipate the people of Kogi State from economic cowards and financial scavengers,” he declared.

    NAN

  • Stakeholders to Buhari: Save Kogi now

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Kogi State at the weekend urged President Muhammadu Buhari to save the state by withdrawing support for the second term ambition of Governor Yahaya Bello.

    The stakeholders, under the auspices of Kogi Emancipation Movement (KEM), urged the President not to release “any form of budget support” to Yahaya “between now and November when the governorship election will take place.”

    They warned that the party would lose the election if it fielded Bello, because “the governor had nothing on which to anchor his second term quest.”

    The group in a statement signed by its Convener, Apostle Eniola Williams, said it was “strange that Buhari and other leaders of the party at both national and state level have continued to show public support for, and even endorsement of Governor Yahaya Bello.”

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    According to it, Bello’s “only visible achievement is the obsolete street lights; even the revenue house that was commissioned by His Eminence, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar, the contractor is yet to be paid.”

    The group claimed that “Contrary to a claim that Kogi State civil servants were being owed “only a few months’ salaries, the truth is that Governor Yahaya Bello does not pay workers their salaries by imposing a three-year lingering screening without end. And when he deigns to do that, he pays them in fractions and trickles. Consequently, he is owing 75 percent of state and local government genuine workers more than 40 months salaries.”

    According to Williams, many Kogi civil servants “have died chasing their hard earned pay, while those who survived up to this moment are stuck between poor or little pay, or late and badly fractionalized pay.

    “We therefore warn that APC will be thoroughly defeated if it fields Governor Yahaya Bello for the November 16, 2019 governorship poll in the state.

    “He has done or said nothing to earn his party’s offer of right of first refusal.

    “We feel strongly that the governor will not win the poll if he is fielded, but even if he could, he still should not run because of his dismal performance in his first term.”

    The group cautioned President Buhari and the party hierarchy not to be deceived by Governor Bello’s assurances that he had the “tactics” to win, “such as he…deployed during the last presidential and legislative polls.”

    It emphasized that “any attempt to field the incumbent governor will result in humiliating defeat for the APC as was the case in Adamawa and Bauchi States earlier in the year. “

    The group urged the President, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, APC Chairman Adams Oshiomole, National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, “stalwarts from the state like Hajiya Salamatu Baiwa, Barrister Babatunde Irukera, Folasade Joseph” … to ensure that “a governor so unpopular…is not allowed to belittle the flag of the party by becoming its standard-bearer. “

    The statement added: “The millions of people from Kogi are hopeless and helpless and their fate is in the hands of these people and what they do to save the state and repair their own reputation.  History and judgment await all in the future for actions or inactions.”

     

  • I’ve not received allowances for two years, says Kogi deputy gov

    Kogi Deputy Governor Simon Achuba on Friday disclosed that only God has been sustaining him in the past two years without allowances.

    According to him Governor Yahaya Bello has stopped paying him his statutory allowances.

    He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    While declining to speak on the outcome of the meeting, he said discussions were ongoing to resolve the issue of his allowances stoppage.

    He had recently lamented that his statutory allocation amounting to N819, 709 980 had been stopped by Governor Bello in the last two years.

    The sum is said to be the accumulated statutory allocations, which include travel allowances, hotel bills, pledges, and outstanding monthly impress and salaries.

    Fielding questions on the outcome of the meeting with the Chief of Staff, he said: “Well it is a private discussion in relation to my office.

    Read Also: Controversy over shadow poll in Kogi APC

    “From my discussions with him there is hope that all the issues will be resolved.”

    Asked whether he has confidence that all the issues will be resolved, he said: “With God all things are possible.”

    On how he has been coping in the last two years as a Deputy Governor without allowances and impress, he said: “Well you know in life what sustains a man is God. So if your hope is in God, you will be very much alive.

    “If you have money and don’t have God, you will be living like a dead person.

    “But if you have God you can live, He is the one who provides to man. So if one source closes, God opens another source for you to live. Supposing I am not a Deputy Governor, won’t I be alive?”

    Also asked why the allowances were stopped, he said that the only excuse given to him was that there was no money.

    On his relationship with the governor, he said: “For now it is not very smooth, it is not what it is supposed to be and it is not supposed to be like that.”

    Also answering question on whether he will support governor Bello in the forthcoming governorship election in the state, he said: “When the time comes. There are issues to be put on table for discussion and these are the issues why I am here.

    “When those issues are settled you will see us flying again, politics is like that.”

    He however ruled out the possibility of contesting against his boss.

    “No, I am not contesting. I won’t contest against him for whatever reason,” adding that crisis is resolved he will work with Bello.

    “If they are resolved, why not? Everybody has interest and if the interests are taken care of, why not.”

  • Command parades 16 suspected abductors, 22 others

    KOGI State Police Command on Tuesday paraded 38 suspected criminals.

    Sixteen of them were arrested for alleged involvement in kidnapping across the state.

    Parading the suspects at the command headquarters in Lokoja, Police Commissioner Mr. Hakeem Busari said the arrests followed onslaught against criminals by the operatives attached to ‘Operatives Puff Adder’.

    “The comprehensive crime prevention and control strategies adopted by the ‘Operation Puff Adder’, through intensive patrol, raids of criminals’ hideouts, black spots and flash points, as well as conduct of stop-and-search across the state led to the arrest of 24 suspected criminals terrorising innocent people,” he said.

    The suspected kidnappers included John Okonkwo and Lawal Gambia, who allegedly abducted Uchenna Ogbu, a cow merchant, following which they demanded N10 million ransom.

    “But operatives of the ‘Operation Puff Adder’ swung into action and arrested Okonkwo.”

    Read Also: Controversy over shadow poll in Kogi APC

    Others arrested for alleged kidnapping include Suleiman Usman, Usman Abubakar, Aliyu Abdullahi, Kayode Oloruntoba and Kayode Rufus.

    “Following a tip-off on June 17, at about 1000hrs, troops deployed in Apata area of Lokoja, through an intelligence-led operation, nabbed the suspects in connection with the kidnap of Mathew Palace, at Oyo Palace. During the identification parade, the victim identified one Suleiman as one of the gang members who kidnapped him. Further investigation led to the arrest of other suspects,” the CP said.

    Other kidnap suspects paraded included Musa Ismaila aka Bature, Muhammed Bingiri, Abubakar Yahaya and Umaru Bingiri. They were paraded for allegedly abducting Ardo Gegu.

    Suspected robbers, cultists, extortionists, dealers in illicit drugs and cattle rustlers were also paraded. They included Uche Shigaba, Huluba Wala, Dauda Zhinsu, Ocheme Kizito, Omonaiye Folorunsho and Idris Yunusa.

    Some of the items recovered from the suspects included guns and ammunition, including one Barretta pistol and eight rounds of 9mm pistol, one locally-made pistol, cutlasses, reloaded cartridge, one handbag and Cannabis sativa (Indian hemp) concealed inside a 120-litre drum.

    Busari said investigation is ongoing to arrest other criminals on the run, adding that the suspects will be arraigned.