Kogi State APC Stakeholders Forum writes Buhari asking him to stop backing Yahaya Bello

OPPOSITION to the gubernatorial aspirations of Governor Yahaya Bello is mounting with the Kogi State All Progressives Congress (APC) Stakeholders Forum writing to President Muhammadu Buhari asking him to pressure the governor to stand down.

Currently the youngest chief executive in Nigeria, Governor Bello assumed office in January 2016 and in November this year, his tenure will end. Despite his tender age of 43, Governor Bello has not been the dynamic and vibrant governor Kogians had expected as he owes months of salary arrears, lives in the federal capital Abuja and is seldom in the state to address the concerns of local people.

Nigeria's National Independent Electoral Commission (Inec) plans to hold elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states on November 2 and Governor Bello has already launched his re-election campaign. However, the governor's re-election campaign has been fiercely opposed by several pressure groups in Kogi State who lament the fact that he owed 36 months' salary arrears and has not completed any infrastructural projects.

Over the weekend, the Kogi APC Stakeholders Forum  petitioned President Buhari, asking that Governor Bello should not be given a second term. It claimed that the governor has received about N344bn over the last 38 months and has failed to do anything with the allocations, adding that he is non-performing and violent.

Senator Alex Kadiri, the forum's convener, said: “Governor Yahaya Bello was never elected by the good people of Kogi State as the death of Abubakar Audu made it possible for Bello to be Kogi State governor. He has shown everyone that he lacks leadership abilities and he can’t fight for the rights and privileges of Kogi people.

“We request you to step down your support for the candidature of Governor Yahaya Bello for the forthcoming election in Kogi State. If the party fields him as a candidate, we are sure of losing the state to the opposition.

“For the past 38 months including February 2019, Governor Yahaya Bello has not paid full salaries to the workers of Kogi State despite the fact that the state received full allocation from the federation account. He received statutory allocation, excess crude and value added tax  of N132bn, internally generated revenue of N51bn and allocations to local governments of N111bn."

According to the forum, total funds received by the state and local governments add up to N294bn, while other funds received include a bail out payment of N20bn, Paris Club refunds of N19bn and refunds for road construction by previous governments of N11bn. It added that the total revenue received by the state government was more than enough to settle all salaries, pensions and gratuities with huge balance remaining for overheads and capital projects.