The 2023 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate for the House of Representative election for Dekina/Bassa in Kogi State, Usman Okai Austin, has dismissed claims that former governor Yahaya Bello is the reason youths shunned the EndBadGovernance protest in the state.
Okai said contrary to claims, Bello is not maintaining peace in Kogi State, stressing that his actions and policies were detrimental to the state.
The socio-political commentator was reacting to an article by one Sulaimon Adejoh, that the former governor was the reason the state has been peaceful amid the ongoing nationwide protest.
Adejoh said Bello saw the protest as an agenda that must not fly in Kogi State due to his support for President Bola Tinubu’s presidency.
He had written: “Someone indeed pulled some strings, same way he has been pulling it since 2016. That someone is Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, the one who as governor, restored security in Kogi State.
“Despite his ordeals in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), since he left office as governor of Kogi State, he has remained firm in his conviction that President Bola Tinubu’s Presidency must be supported by all well-meaning Nigerians and nothing must be done to derail the President.
“Yahaya Bello therefore saw the call for protest by some groups as an agenda that must not be allowed to fly in Kogi State. He gave his full support to the State Governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo and rallied all the necessary stakeholders, especially the youths behind him to ensure that not a single soul joined the protest in the State.”
However, Okai faulted Adejoh’s claim, noting that Bello’s past administration brought about severe hunger in the state.
Posting on his Facebook wall, Okai wrote: “Muri Ajaka, who was cheated and defrauded in the last election, could have been the catalyst for unrest in Kogi State during the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests. However, he wisely appealed to his supporters to remain calm.
“Similarly, Senator Echocho and Karimi issued strong statements urging peace in their various Senatorial districts in Kogi state.
“Ironically, Yahaya Bello, who is metaphorically imprisoned in the Government House in Lokoja, claims to be the one maintaining peace in Kogi state. This is far from the truth, as Bello’s actions and policies have been detrimental to the state.
“He secretly hopes for a serious protest in Kogi, believing it would distract us from his own troubles with the EFCC, a federal agency investigating him.
“Bello should respect himself and remain quiet, acknowledging his own failures. Kogi people are already accustomed to hunger, which Bello’s leadership has exacerbated, making Kogi one of Nigeria’s hungriest states. The people feel unlucky under the APC-led federal government.”