- Says people are suffering under Governor Bello
A delegation of Kogi State indigenes led by a member of the House of Representatives and Hon. James Falake tuesday in Abuja passed a vote-of-no-confidence on Governor Yahaya Bello, saying that the state has stopped working since he assumed office.
The delegation, which comprises former ministers, former ambassadors, former National Assembly members and other critical stakeholders from the state, stormed the Presidential Villa.
The delegation told the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, that Bello’s actions were inimical to the future of ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Falake, who spoke with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting with Osinbajo which held behind closed doors, said the people of the state were dying of hunger as a result of the leadership style adopted by Bello.
He said: “We came to the Presidency to let the federal government know what is happening in Kogi State as regards the fortunes of the party. The way it is dwindling day by day as regards the civil servants, the welfare of the people and their relationship with the state government.
“We have come to let the presidency know so that when elections come and the party losses, no one is blamed. We want intervention from the federal government to find a way forward in this situation.
“The governor of the state should recognise those who work for the party and make the party to be successful. It is one thing to be victorious at the court level and another thing to carry the people along. I want to use this opportunity to urge the governor to carry the people along.
“This is the fifth time he is setting up a committee to review staff strength with so many screenings every day. People are dying. You ask people to come from the entire 21 local government areas to Lokoja to present their documents, some of them are dying from road accidents.
“My concern is that if he is too sure, he should set up a better frame rather than this recurrent approach. For all the committees that sent report to him, he has condemned their report and he is the one that set up these committees. Now another committee has been set up again for the same purpose.
“We get calls everyday for welfare from civil servants, school children that their parents have not been paid for months. So, we want him to stop this because this is not the only way to stop ghost workers and it shouldn’t be the last. I’m not against eradication of ghost workers but it shouldn’t be done to the detriment of the people.”
He said members of the delegation were satisfied with the response of the vice-president.
“Of course, we are satisfied. It is a work in progress. It is not a fait accompli,” he said.
Also speaking, a former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdullahi Bello Okene said that the delegation had representatives from across the state.
“Yes of course. You can see among the delegation here are former ministers, former ambassadors, former National Assembly members across the state that are critical stakeholders. The leadership is all here cutting across the entire state,” he said.
