Yahaya Bello It was astonishing, laughable, and somewhat unbelievable when the news of Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello’s fabrication over his claim that some of his loyalists betrayed him during the immediate past Governorship election in the state.
Although Governor Yahaya Bello is human and it is necessary, he expected everyone who has benefitted from his administrative gesture to pay back in like kindness, however, it is unimaginable that Governor Yahaya Bello has covered such length in life and failed to comprehend the realm of political interest when the realities of some factors set in.
Before digging deep into this, it is worth noting that the situation would have been worse if Governor Yahaya Bello’s All Progressives Congress (APC) and his endorsed governorship candidate, Usman Ahmed Ododo had lost the election. However, congratulations to the Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello; his party, and the Governor-elect, Ododo for the victory recorded at the November 11 Governorship election in the state.
Having settled this, it is germane for our politicians to always respect individualities and the nature of democratic politics.
According to Charles Darwin in his hereditary study, he came up with a theory that “Variation exists in every individual.” This is in tandem with the natural law of politics which enshrines the fact that “political association is bound by a collection of related personal interests.”
Sincerely, if you are not surprised by the outburst of Governor Yahaya Bello when speaking at the APC stakeholders meeting held in Lokoja, Kogi State capital, it means you are one of the liars that anyone in the position of Yahaya Bello should be careful of paying attention to.
Yahaya Bello has gloriously spent eight years as the Executive Governor of Kogi State; he will be leaving the Seat of Authority and he had, out of all the prominent members of his party, APC, in Kogi State picked his kinsman, Ododo as his successor and he expected all his cabinet members to be in his support. Such expectation will never come to pass till eternity.
In our pre-election analysis, looking into the party to beat in the Kogi State Governorship Election, if there was any factor that we emphasized on that may hinder the chances of APC to deliver Kogi State, easily, it was the paternity of the APC Governorship candidate, Ahmed Ododo, and that of the outgoing Governor, Yahaya Bello.
Both Yahaya Bello and Ahmed Ododo hail from Kogi Central Senatorial District where the Ebira people reside in the state. We pointed, firmly, at the geographical peculiarity of Kogi State and its impact on Kogi Politics, and the major factors we sighted that might work for APC in Kogi State worked for the party.
Except Ahmed Ododo is as gentle and calm as the immediate former Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, it is sure and could be anticipated that the people of Kogi State may need supernatural intervention to stop Ebira people from spending at least 16 consecutive years as the Executive Governor of Kogi State, that is if Ododo fails to endorse another Ebira successor after his terms in the Office of the Kogi State Governor.
Foreseeing this, how did Governor Yahaya Bello want all his cabinet members to drop their regional interest for what could not even be considered as their party interest?
Governor Yahaya Bello was a major player when the South rose against an attempt by some Northern elements to force another Northern President on Nigeria during the last Presidential election and what he fought against in the name of national interest is the same he did in Kogi State, all in the name of Ebira Interest. If truly those cabinet members have betrayed Governor Yahaya Bello for attempting to endorse equity in the state’s political palace, it means the likes of Ahmed Lawal and a couple of other northern members of APC who wanted to succeed ex-President Muhammadu Buhari would also be adjudged right if they point accusing fingers at Yahaya Bello for standing for equity in the course of navigating the ship of Nigerian politics.
Governor Yahaya Bello should rather be grateful to God for giving him victory in the last election rather than accumulating unnecessary enemies in the name of his successor who he can never preempt what would be their relationship in the next few months.
Painstakingly, it is very hard to blame Yahaya Bello for installing his Ebira kinsman as his success thus it was a foundation laid by the Igala people of the Kogi East where Murtala Ajaka hails. The Igala people entrenched a political tradition where a senatorial district holds on to the governorship seat of the state until there is special intervention to halt the occupation; bearing in mind, the peculiarity of Kogi State geopolitics where each senatorial district is dominated by each of the three major ethnic groups in the state having Igala people in Kogi East, Ebira people in Kogi Central and Okun (Yoruba) people in the Kogi West.
Governor Yahaya Bello should flashback at the circumstances that followed his failure to pick the APC Governorship ticket ahead of the 2015 Governorship election when another Igala man, Abubakar Audu won the ticket of APC; Yahaya Bello could not only be described as a betrayer to APC and Audu, he worked against the party and almost defected to another party before the sudden death of Audu which paved way for his emergence.
Governor Yahaya Bello should rather groom Ododo to know how to deal with betrayers in politics as he must have dealt with it during the last elections. Moreso, Yahaya Bello himself, should rather endorse the says of one of the greatest American Lords who states “There is no permanent friend or enemy in politics.” If America is too far, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is an exemplary insight for Yahaya Bello. Bola Tinubu is a man who will tell you at the point of his being betrayed that “he has always provided a space for betrayal in every relationship.”
It is not the time for Yahaya Bello to revenge, rather he may have to condole with the aggrieved members of the party, be a cabinet or ordinary member, and work towards building a stronger APC in the state.
Category: World-News
Tag: Yahaya Bello kogi betray
Written by Omooba Alekuwodo (omoobaalekuwodo)
Published 11/20/2023 10:15:32 AM