These are not rosy times for the embattled deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, James Faleke as his kinsmen from the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State have declared their support for the governor-elect of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
The party in the local government area, which is the local government of the embattled party, James Faleke, said it was in line with the decision of the national headquarters of the party on the governorship election in the state.
The chairman of the party in the local government, Mr Taufiq Isa, said although Faleke contributed immensely to the success of APC in the local government, the people had no choice to abide by the decision of the national leadership of the party.
The clarification came following a report in a local newspaper, which claimed that the stakeholders of the party in the local government backed Faleke in its quest to claim the mandate given to Audu/Faleke ticket.
Isa said that the local government secretariat of the party would not condone any member who engaged in any act done without the permission of the chairman.
Isa said, “The public is hereby advised to ignore any information, or communiqué by persons who claim to be a member of our great party without the consent of the local government chairman of APC.”
Isa added that the entire members of the party in the area were ready to support the incoming administration of Bello to enable him to hit the ground running immediately he is inaugurated.
“Once again, we APC members sincerely value our party and will not condone any political prostitute who goes about appending their signatures in any communiqué or write up without authorisation,” the chairman added.
Barely a week to the inauguration of Alhaji Bello as the new governor of the state, Kogi indigenes based in Lagos under the aegis of Confluence Progressives Foundation (CPF), have solicited the support of all and sundry to make the transition of power in the state a success.
The group, which is a non-partisan and non- political-group that has been in existence for over a decade, made the call while expressing support for the incoming governor.
This was just as the group urged the governor- elect, Alhaji Bello on the need to provide an all-inclusive administration that would not segregate or marginalise any tribe in the state.
Addressing newsmen in Lagos, President of the group, Col. Ajinadu Bello Badanga (rtd.) said CPF resolved to support the gover- elect based on its motto, which emphasises peace and unity amongst the diverse ethnic groups that make up Kogi through which progress could be attained by the state.,
Baganda, who spoke alongside other leaders of the group, including Abdulazeez Afolabi, Mrs Rakiat Idris and Mr. Adamu Yussuf, also tasked Bello to run all-inclusive administration that would not promote one tribe above the other.
He said the concern of the group was to see the emergence of a state where its vast and God- given resources were deployed and utilised for the benefit of all, irrespective of ethnicity, religion or political persuasion
.
He stated that Kogi had 22 mineral resources scattered across the 21 local governments, expressing the belief that, “the state is too rich to be poor.”
“The onus is on the incoming governor to use his good offices to effect positive changes through development that would be evenly distributed across the length and breadth of the state,” he said.
Speaking further, Badanga expressed the belief that the incoming governor possessed the political acumen to raise up the state to the level that would make it the cynosure of all eyes in terms of social growth, economic progress and political development.
“We are confident that Alhaja Yahaya Bello possesses the political acumen to raise up the state to the level that would make it the cynosure of all eyes in terms of social growth, economic progress and political development,” he said.