By Mohammed Idris.
The last two months has no doubt witnessed astronomical increase in senseless violence and state terrorism taken too far, some five months to November 11, off season Governorship election in Kogi State.
The level of anxiety and desperation being displayed by the leadership of Kogi State and the All Progressive Congress (APC), has betray every emotions and expectations that the sitting Governor,Yahaya Adoza Bello would seat comfortably unperturbed based on the performance of his administration in the deliverance of democratic dividends to citizens of Kogi State, to coasting home a hitch free victory for his adopted successor, Ahmed Usman Ododo.
However, subsequent display of restlessness by the state leadership as epitomized by state sponsored violence, killings are evidence of failed hope, in realizing this expectation.
Looking back at the similar run up five months to 2019 off season governorship election in which Governor Yahaya Bello’s ran for a second term in office, hell was almost let loose, as his political dogs, thugs were sporadically everywhere, barking, harrasing and attacking any indentified stronger opponent (s) in the contests.
Bello’s fear and despiration in political contest he was never party to, was openly demonstrated when his political dogs, thugs unleased physical attack on then Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, Bar. Natasha Akpoti, and burnt down her campaign office at Ibrahim Taiwo road, Lokoja, the incidence that first exposed Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello as a faith heated political terrorist in our democratic ecosystem.
In his comic abuse of state power, Governor Yahaya Bello promoted similar threat and mob attack on several other aspirants on the platform of All Progressive Congress, including Vice Admira Usman Jibrin (Rtd) and late Professor Saidu Mohammed, among others in 2019, all whom were threatened, blocked and muscled into chickening out of their aspiration 2019 off season Governorship election, an official Police Helicopter loaded with security agents armed to the teath ran amook in the sky, shooting and scaring electorates in Ganaja, Lokoja metropolitan and Kotonkarfi voting units where APC was highly disadvantaged and heading for loose.
This scandalous and brutal attack’s orchestrated by the State leadership, backed by a’federal might’ of the clueless administration of President Muhamodu Buhari,was replicated in several local governments in the state and particularly, in Kogi East, an effort that skewed kangaroo victory for Yahaya Bello for second term.
This disastrous 2019 governorship election in Kogi state was openly condemned by the immediate past National Security Adviser, General Babangida Monguno who described it as “fiasco, where unthinkable happened”, the election violence that led to the burning alive of PDP Woman Leader, late Mrs Salome Abuh in her Ochadamu home in Ofu, Kogi East of the state, over which not less than 49 persons were arrested but never prosecuted. This is an unpardonable key historical default in our confluence state.
As the preparation and campaign for November 11,2023 Governorship election gathers momentum, history is on the verge of repeating it’s self except and unless an early intervention by the new
administration of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu nibs it in the bud.
The orgy of state sponsored violence, intimidation and killings for election in Kogi State has started in earnest prior to an election coming up in the next four months.
This is informed by the usual fear,faith heartedness and timidity openly demonstrated by leadership of the state, Yahaya Bello in the recent organised attack on the candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP), Alh. Murtala Yakubu Ajaka (Muri) at Banda in Lokoja and killing of Kabir Ahmed Okwo and other innocent citizens of Igala extraction in same Ofu Local Government, Kogi East of the State.
A situation where a whole Governor of the state, Yahaya Adoza Bello will surmon a security Meeting comprising of Police, Army, Civil Defense Corps, DSS, Vigilantes and thugs, mobilising them on propaganda mission, to go and raid some communities in Kogi East, to torture and kill innocent supporters of a superior opposition SDP candidate, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka in the November 12, 2023 Governorship election, using cooked propaganda, labeling them as criminals, amounts to high level of impunity and terrorism that is never permissible in a sane society where law and order works except in a banana republic.
It is tragic and disastrous if the Federal Government under President Ahmed Tinubu to keeps watching like President Buhari, while Governor Bello of Kogi State takes ownership of the law of the country, abuse it and muscle Government Security Agents to declare war on his perceived political opponent (s) in the state without expecting reprisal.
If the current momentum of state orchestrated threat of violence, clamp down, and murder of youth of Kogi East labeled as criminals is not dispelled and halted, certainly, the looming anarchy will expurge the idea of November 11, Governorship election in the State.
It’s obvious that,the divine hand of God brought in Yahaya Bello in 2015 to harvest sheaply, the electoral victory of late political Icon and Governor, Prince Abubakar Audu of blessed memory after his demise, without Bello’s involvement in same election, but instead of that seemingly humble Yahaya Bello, a wolve in sheep’s skin of 2015, to glorify God for the rear opportunity, today we have an acclaimed ‘White Lion’ allegedly out to devour superior opponent (s) for purpose of stealing precious votes of the citizens of Kogi State for his annoited stooze. As sweet as this dream may sound, it definitely will crash like packs of card and fissle out at the sight November 11th, 2023 decision day.
The stack level at which Governor Bello plundered the state and numerous infractions committed in nearly last eight years is so devastating that, the fear of unknown has triggered his recent
sponsored violence, holiganism, lebeling critical supporters of SDP candidate, Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, as criminals, too risky for his nefarious Project’ that is dead on arrival.
This nacked misdemeanor is responsible to Governor Yahaya Bello crying more than the bereaved, spoon-feeding and window dressing a political robot to sustain the plundering drive instituted by him.
To achieve this myopic thinking, billions from Kogi State Treasury is being squandered,on serial media propaganda, sponsoring impoverished youth of the state to go out praise singing of him, Bello, and castigating highly placed leaders who dear challenge his wanton political move as against superior opinion in the state.
It’s on record that Yahaya Bello officially has four (4) good months to complete his second tenure as Governor of Kogi State and hands over to a new Governor comes January, 2024 and have his exit.
Ironically, his bellicose push of greed, self-centered politicking and crash nacked crave to cover up his monumental scandals, ruts and dirty dealings is the impetus for choice of his cousin, Ahmed Usman Ododo to do the hatch job of covering up the mesh.
What the enterprising people of Kogi State have always aspired for and continue to subscribe to, is peaceful elections and good governance and not impunity, scandalous and mediocritic leadership that Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello symbolise.
It is this idea of peaceful election and good governance that informed a refered political Icon and elder_stateman who has made a robust landmark successes and contributions to not only Kogi State but Nigeria, and currently the Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the mouth piece of Northern political Leadership, Chief ( Arch.) Gabriel Yakubu Aduku to call on Governor Yahaya Bello to restrain from overheating the polity in the state.
The Chairman of Kogi East Elders Forum (KEEF) Chief (Arch.) Gabriel Aduku who doubled as Chairman of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), felt Kogi already blessed with abundant human and material resources, only needs to be focused and priotised it’s policies divorced from political intrigues and electorial violence to achieve economic growth.
As one of the Frontline founding fathers of modern Kogi State, Aduku segaciously advised the political leadership in Kogi State led by Governor Yahaya Bello,to take charge and exercise restrain in the ongoing pre – election violence and killings in the state and particularly, Kogi East, which otherwise, potends danger to the conduct of November 11, 2023 Governorship election.
Governor Bello who is currently enjoying his political gymnastic while nursing a political toddler, Ahmed Usman Ododo to be imposed on the enlighten people of Kogi State, sees no sense in the golden hair advise of the elderstateman and so, directed his media robots led by Kinsley Fanwo to rebuke and blackmail the elderstateman, warning that the ACF leadership was out to fan an ember of political crisis in the state and so, should stop meddling in the affairs of the state for which he is the Governor.
Governor Yahaya Bello’s art of in_surbodination and contempt to constituted authority (s) and traditional institutions in Kogi State is no more strange to political watchers but he should realise that he is sailing on perilous sea, whose ship may capsize sooner than he envisaged.
He should also realise that his unguarded passion to either sustain his political glut and create holocost in Kogi East or magnifying his shear political extremism and radicalism targeted at bringing to disrepute the elder_statemen from Kogi East and particularly, the refered KEEC and ACF Chairman, may trigger fury that would shorten the speed to his political Waterloo.
Governor Bello may also be advised that his insistence at promoting impunity and extreme political infractions that would sabotage oppositions’ campaign in the state in the build up to November 11, 2023 election, is as good as calling for a state of emergency, since such scenario will bring any electoral arrangements in Kogi state to inevitable halt.
