Former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State may have left office and handed over to his successor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, but from all indications and information available to City People, the man is still very much in charge of the state.
He is still calling the shots. He is still the one that determines who gets what in Kogi State. And unlike the Wike and Fubara case in Rivers that has spiralled into a messy situation, Yahaya Bello and his anointed successor, Usman Ododo, appear to still be getting along fine together. But the latest development within the government house, from what we hear, could be the last straw that will ultimately break the camel’s back.
The rumour making the rounds is that the governor may soon take another wife. The supposed wife-to-be is none other than the former First Lady’s sister.
According to the news bearers, Ododo is under a lot of pressure to get wedded to the sister of former Kogi First Lady, Rashida Bello. Initially believed to be Ododo’s latest attempt to please his predecessor and mentor, Yahaya Bello, the rumours now claim that Ododo is being forced into this position.
Multiple reasons have been given for the alleged attempt to impose a second wife on Governor Ododo. The first is that Ododo’s current and only wife, Sefiyah Ododo, is not accomplished in terms of her educational qualifications. Therefore, the alleged incoming wife is supposed to fill that position.
Another rumoured reason is to help the former governor, Bello, consolidate his grip on the state. Proponents of this angle argue that Sefiyah would have to relinquish her First Lady title to the new lady, much like every other person gave way for Bello’s relatives and friends to populate Ododo’s cabinet. Bello’s cousin, Ali Bello, who doubles as Ododo’s Chief of Staff, is a case in point.
Yahaya Bello’s wife according to an insider from the Government House is not enjoying much popularity even though she’s imposing herself on the domestic staffs. The reason is because Sefiyah is an Ebira woman unlike Bello’s wife who’s from Edo and the staffs who are mostly Kogi indigenes from Ebira extraction give absolute support to the First Lady.
“On several occasions, the entourage that follows the former First Lady is even more than the governor’s. She is still displaying the power and authority she had as the First Lady during her husband’s reign not giving the new first lady any chance” the source hinted.
Additionally, there are speculations that Bello is still residing in the government house while Ododo continues to occupy his former lodging. On the one hand, it is alleged that this is because Bello is being hunted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and uses the presidential suite within Lord Lugard House as a hideout. On another, it is supposed to demonstrate his transcendent status in Kogi.
But in a bid to protect it former chief executive, the Kogi State Government has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to come clean on the reason behind its unrelenting persecution and media trial of the immediate past Governor of the state, Yahaya Bello.
The state government said it is eager to know why the anti – graft agency is trying so hard to find what is not missing in the state, when nothing belonging to the state was found missing during the administration of Bello.
This was made known a few days ago in a statement released by the State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, following the EFCC amended charges against former Governor Yahaya Bello; his Cousins, Ali Bello (Present Chief of Staff to Governor Usman Ododo) and two others.
The state government in the statement insisted that its funds were not missing, and called on the EFCC to desist from mentioning the state in its ongoing persecution, stressing that the prosecution was orchestrated by some political actors around the Presidency bent on destroying the image of the former Governor.
The statement reads apart: “As a subnational in the Nigerian nationhood, we wish to express our utmost respect for agencies set up to perform specific functions towards the greatness of Nigeria. The Kogi State Government is also conscientiously committed to the determination of the present administration to stop corruption and fight corruption.
“As an administration, we inherited the zero tolerance for corruption policy from the immediate past administration of His Excellency Alh. Yahaya Bello, CON. From 2016, the Government of Kogi State has continually strengthened her anti-corruption brakes and bumps to ensure the commonwealth of the people works for the common good of Kogites. This has won the State Government a lot of credible awards from national and international organizations, including the World Bank.
“A few years back, we witnessed a worrisome trend and torrent of witch-hunt by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, unrepentantly striving to force corruption claims on our Government and its officials. The Commission started with claims that it discovered a non-existent fund in an alleged Fixed Deposit Account.
“The desperation of the EFCC to hastily and for glaring political reasons, hound the immediate past Governor on their corruption list is unfortunate and speaks volume on how we reward altruistic leadership in our nation. For the records, we wish to make it clear that Kogi’s funds are not missing and that the EFCC is trying so hard to find what is not missing.
“We therefore call on the EFCC to desist from mentioning the name of Kogi State in its ongoing persecution, orchestrated by some political actors in and around the Presidency bent on destroying the image of Alh. Yahaya Bello and Kogi State. We believe that this ignoble agenda is unknown to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who trusted those people with power with the hope that they will use it judiciously for the greatness of our nation. Unfortunately, they have decided to use the privileges given to them as tools for political vendetta.
“The amended charges in which the name of the former Governor was mentioned are false, frivolous, fictitious and far from the truth. They are cooked-up charges that signpost their desperation to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it. The intention was to sensationalize the whole scenario and promote a media war against the former Governor and other officials of Government. We have seen how low EFCC and its paymasters can go in order to pander to the political agenda of those afraid of the rising profile of Alh. Yahaya Bello.
“The Kogi State Government wishes to call on Mr President to order a special probe into what is happening in Kogi State before the EFCC is pushed into being used as a hired gun by political hawks who are acting a selfish and overambitious script.
“As a Government, we will continue to support the anti-corruption crusade of the Federal Government, albeit, such crusade should be based on the rule of law, purity of conscience and devoid of political scheming. We cannot afford to politicize our fight against corruption. We will continue to have faith in the judiciary to protect our name and integrity.
“Those who have personal grievances can vent their grievances without dragging the name of Kogi State in the mud. Our Government believes in transparency, accountability and probity in line with the trend from 2016.
“We also wish to assure the good people of our State that nothing will be spared to protect the integrity of our Government. Our administration will continue to act in a way that Kogites will be respected wherever they go and for us to retain the respect of our international development partners who have persistently commended our anti-corruption credentials.”
