TheNewsGuru

Tag: Yahaya Bello

  • Melaye: Udom fires back at Bello, says ‘manage your resources well, pay civil servants’ salaries’

    The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel has responded to the statement credited to the Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello and signed by his Director-General, Media and Publicity, Kingsley Fanwo where he criticized the governor (Udom) for allegedly backing Senator Melaye and describing him as ‘general’ in the Senate.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that in a paid advertorial, Bello took issues with his Akwa Ibom governor for describing Senator Dino Melaye, lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District as a “General” in the Senate during the recent empowerment event by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio (CON) held in Ikot Ekpene.

    But Governor Udom, while responding to his Kogi State counterpart, said he does not intend to immerse himself in the politics of zero-sum game that is currently playing out in Kogi State, adding that in Akwa Ibom he plays politics of inclusion, where accent is placed on delivering the best democratic dividends to his people.

    Udom, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Media/Chief Press Secretary, Ekerete Udoh slammed Governor Bello’s media team for not giving their principal professional advice before responding to issues.

    He described the statement credited to the Governor’s chief media handler as unfortunately, pugnacious in context, pettifogger in tone and tenor and supercilious at best.

    The job of professionally- minded media handlers of a public servant is to dispassionately present an unvarnished truth about a given situation to his principal and advise him on the best possible means of reaction.

    “We are afraid the Kogi State Governor was not served well by his Director-General of Media and Publicity here otherwise he would have resisted the rush to direct the issuance of a press statement where he was quoted to have said a number of unsanitized things about a Brother Governor on an issue that was at best innocuous and done with no malice.

    “Governor Yahaha Bello’s media team should align with globally acceptable best practices in democratic governance where leaders are usually circumspect in their choice of words while engaging their counterparts. If the Governor’s media team truly meant well, it should have advised the Governor that he will look snippy, truculent and un-gubernatorial in the court of public opinion if he were seen to be joining issues with his Brother Governor”, he said.

    He added that his administration is not interested in the local politics of Kogi State.

    “We are not interested in the local politics in Kogi State or if His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello has challenges paying salaries since we don’t have such problems here in our State, as our civil servants get paid regularly and Governor Emmanuel is embarking on a number of infrastructural upgrades and other life-touching projects. He is able to do all these, through the judicious application of the lean resources available to him”.

     

  • Yahaya Bello blasts Udom Emmanuel for calling Melaye ‘general’ in Senate

    The Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has berated his counterpart Governor, Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State, over his comments on the ongoing recall process of Senator representing Kogi west senatorial district, Dino Melaye

    Emmanuel, who had last week described Melaye as a ‘general’ in the Senate for performing well, wondered why his constituents should initiate a recall against the lawmaker.

    The Akwa Ibom governor made the remark at an empowerment program, organized by the Minority Leader in the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

    Reacting to Emmanuel’s commendation of Melaye, the Director-General, Media and Publicity to Kogi State Governor, Kingsley Fanwo, said the decision of Emmanuel to refer to Melaye as a “general” in the senate was disturbing as he was rating a “non performing” senator.

    Fanwo in a statement said Melaye told false stories of unpaid salaries in his state, thrilled the crowd with his Aje Kun Iya Ni’Oje signature while preaching his false message of death being reward for both lying and telling the truth.

    He said, “We believe that Governor Emmanuel’s unveiled disdain for a long-suffering people trudging the booby-trapped path to the recall of their Senator in a bid to recover their dignity is uncalled for.

    “What is even more appalling is Governor Udom Emmanuel’s decoration of Dino Melaye with the rank and privileges of ‘General’ among all the Distinguished Senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while consigning others to ‘Recruit’. Dino Melaye is a General in the Senate of the 8th Assembly where even Governor Udom Emmanuel’s accomplished predecessor sits? This is unprecedented.

    “The irony is that Governor Emmanuel made these comments at an event where Senator Godswill Akpabio, one of Dino Melaye’s contemporaries in the Senate, empowered his own people with 4 tractors, over 800 power-generating sets, grain-grinding machines, and block molding machines. 100 computer sets and printers, as well as sewing machines, He also announced scholarships and grants to hundreds of students from his constituency.

    “The Kogi West Senator attended his colleague’s Briefing and Constituency Empowerment event, not to learn how to represent well, but obviously as Comedian of the Day.

    “He truly proved himself the ‘performing Senator’ Governor Udom Emmanuel called him that day. Governor Udom Emmanuel’s later remarks in praise of his guest was just the pepper Kogi people needed sprinkled on their wounds while people who’s Senator actually knows his job carted their dividends of democracy home.

    “Now it is clear that Governor Udom Emmanuel seems to like our vacuous Senator so much, we would be much obliged if Akwa Ibom will take him off our hands for good. We can negotiate details of his transfer before the applicable windows close.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the good people of Kogi West, having decided they have had enough of Senator Dino Melaye’s selfish brand of misrepresentation, and having undertaken to tread this slippery slope to self-respect have the support of not just all of us in Kogi State, but of all Nigerians of goodwill, including upstanding Akwa Ibomites. We therefore urge our brother, the still very much respected Governor of our brother State, Akwa Ibom, to show more sensitivity in his future utterances.”

     

  • JUST IN: Voters in Kogi file suit to remove Gov Yahaya Bello from office

    JUST IN: Voters in Kogi file suit to remove Gov Yahaya Bello from office

    Some voters in Kogi, have approached a Federal High Court in Abuja to declare the return and swearing-in of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as the governor of Kogi as null and void.

    The suit, number FHC/ABJ/C3/535/ /2017, was filed on June 16 before Justice John Tsoho of the Federal High Court 3, Abuja, according to documents made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Lokoja.

    Mr Michael Elokun, Mr Ibrahim Sule and Mrs Hawa Adamu, all registered voters in Kogi are the electorate suing Bello on behalf of over 1.2 million registered voters in the state.

    Other defendants in the suit are the All Progressives Party (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation.

    In the originating summon supported by a 19-paragraph affidavit, the petitioners are asking the court to remove the governor on grounds that he is not a registered voter in Kogi.

    The petitioners also urged the court to remove Bello on the grounds that he was not validly nominated in writing to contest the 2015 governorship election by any registered voter in the state.

    They contended that this was in accordance with Section 32 of the 2010 Electoral Act as amended.

    Elokun, Sule and Adamu want the court to affirm that since Bello was not a registered voter in Kogi, he could not be nominated for any elective position or be voted for by the electorate in the state.

    On this premise, the petitioners are asking the court to declare as null and void the declaration of Bello as the winner of the governorship election held in the state in 2015 by the INEC.

    No date has been fixed to hear the suit.

     

     

    NAN

  • CVR: INEC to take legal action against Gov Bello for double registration

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has accused Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State of registering twice in the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration, in breach of the federal electoral law.

    The electoral umpire also chided governor for registering at unapproved registration centres.

    It explained that Bello acted “illegally” to have registered for voter’s card in Abuja and Kogi, but said it could not take action against the governor because he is constitutionally protected from prosecution while in office.

    According to a report by Premium Times, Bello’s criminal behaviour came to light when photographs showed him being registered for by INEC officials in his office in Lokoja, his state capital. He had earlier been registered in Abuja.

    The electoral commission, INEC, made its position on the scandal known on Thursday.

    “The Governor’s double registration and doing so outside INEC’s designated centres are both illegal,” INEC’s national commissioner and chairman voter education committee, Solomon Soyebi, said on Thursday.

    The commission denied authorising any staff or citizen to “re-register him or any citizen or to do so outside our designated CVR centres”.

    He said the commission “is taking disciplinary action against the INEC staff involved”, but regretted the governor’s immunity would help him escape prosecution.

    “As for the State Governor, Section 308(1) (a) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) precludes INEC from prosecuting him while in office,” Soyebi said.

    Nevertheless, his second and illegal registration now stands cancelled.

    “However, INEC wishes to state that it has cancelled his second and illegal registration forthwith because our Electoral Law and the Commission’s guidelines make no exception for anyone to register more than once and outside the designated areas,” Mr. Soyebi said.

    The spokesperson for the governor, Kingsley Fanwo, had said his principal had to register again in Kogi, because nothing had come of efforts to get INEC to transfer his voter’s card from Abuja to Kogi.

    Soyebi did not address the alleged non-transfer of Bello’s voter’s card from Abuja to Kogi in his statement.

    A group, Kogi For Change, in a statement signed by its chairman, Omeiza Yakubu, said it would take legal action in view of the illegality of Bello’s action.

    “The impunity that unleashed the governor on the state is at work again and we are not going to take it lightly. As a matter of fact we have decided as a group to take the matter to talk. It is a criminal offence to engage in double registration,” the group said.

  • Dino playing to the gallery, I have no issues with him – Gov Bello

    Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has said while it is true that the Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye has made several accusations against him and also cast aspersions at his administration in the state, he (Bello) does not have any rift against him.

    He said reports that he was having a “running battle” with Melaye, is not true, insisting that his primary responsibility is to reposition the state and not to engage people in “unnecessary rift.”

    Bello, speaking through his Director General on Media and Strategy, Kingsley Fanwo, yesterday, said he has been working closely with people who are not “averse to the progress of the state”, maintaining that his administration will be undaunted by the “recklessness in certain quarters to create a fiction of war.

    “While it is in order to condemn assassination attempt on anyone; it amounts to official recklessness to make wanton allegations and move before the conclusion of police investigations to point accusing fingers at targeted personalities.

    “The sponsored orchestrated attempt at maligning the person of the Governor is unfortunate and an institution as respected as the Senate should never have knelt before the alters of frivolities and character assassination.

    “The Governor is unperturbed by the script play which tended to paint Dino innocent and every other person guilty.

    “As much as we can’t buy into the exculpatory theory of anyone; it is hasty and an unpardonable prejudice to accuse innocent people based on bias.

    “The Police has been highly professional under the present leadership and will surely unravel the real culprits. Police cannot be intimidated by desperate folks who are majoring in the minor and minoring in the major.

    “The Senate should note that it is Senator Dino Melaye who is fighting the Governor and not the other way round. He said the Governor has not paid workers for 15 months and made subterranean moves to incite the public against government.

    “We have published what we paid workers from January 2016 to March 2017, month by month, worker by worker. He accused government of closing down schools but later found out who is actually responsible for the industrial action.

    “Despite their failure to resume work, we have continued to pay tertiary institutions staff. Melaye should apologize to the people of the state for his unsuccessful attempt at making the state ungovernable.

    “No degree of falsehood and propaganda can derail the march of the present administration to continue to deliver democracy dividends to the people of the state.

    “When the Sultan of Sokoto came to commission the architectural masterpieces of the Revenue House and the SDG Building, he was criticized by Senator Dino Melaye.

    “Was he ashamed that all his misinformation about Kogi was debunked by the global attention on Kogi that week? Road projects are ongoing in all the Senatorial Districts of the State and we are repositioning our health and educational infrastructures.

    “Agriculture is becoming the life wire of the state as well as tourism. We have raised our IGR for over 300% and the Kogi people are happy to be witnessing unprecedented development.

    “We have trained and empowered thousands of youth in the state to divorce them from thuggery and we don’t expect employers of thugs to be happy that we depopulated their pools.

    “We have raised the ante against insecurity and have not only equipped the security agents to fight, we have pulled down buildings that are proceeds of criminality.

    “We have no reason to fight Dino”. He said it was “impossible” to keep “certain elements happy when development; but not embezzlement is the priority of government, saying the Yahaya Bello administration is “building institutional structures that will outlive its tenure.

    “Through our PPP arrangement, a number of investors are already in the state. They are investing in all the sectors of the economy, creating wealth and jobs for our teeming populace.

    “These are the issues that interest the Kogi State Government. Anyone who wants the development of the state will never constitute a cog in the wheels of progress.”

  • Gov Yahaya Bello names road after Col. Abu Ali, Boko Haram war hero

    Gov Yahaya Bello names road after Col. Abu Ali, Boko Haram war hero

    The Kogi State Government on Friday named the 50-km Shintaku-Gboloko-Dekina Road in Bassa Local Government Area of the state after the fallen Book Haram war hero, Lt.-Col. Mohammed Abu Ali.

    Governor Yahaya Bello, who announced this in Bassa, said the honour was part of efforts to immortalise Ali, who was killed in Maiduguri, Borno, on Nov. 4, 2016 by insurgents.

    The late officer was a son to the Ettu of Bassa-Nge Kingdom, retired Brig-Gen. Abu Ali.

    Bello was in the council area to flag off the rehabilitation of three roads when he announced the naming of the road after the late soldier.

    “My late brother, Lt.-Col Abu Ali, paid the ultimate price for the protection of his fellow Nigerians and I am dedicating this road in his memory.

    “When I came here on a condolence visit to his family, I promised to construct this road and I am grateful to God that I am performing the flag-off today to the glory of God,” he said.

    He assured the people of his administration’s commitment to provide infrastructure in the area.

    Bello warned criminals to keep off, saying the full weight of the law will be brought to bear on them.

    “The state has become a no-go area for criminals.

    “By now, criminals must know that there is a new `sheriff’ in town. I will not condone any form of criminality. Those still hiding will be flushed out; poverty is not an excuse for criminality,” the governor said

    The Administrator of the local government area, Mr Zakari Alumka, commended the governor for his intervention during a recent communal clash.

    Alumka also thanked the governor for the construction and rehabilitation of Mohammed Abu Ali road and two other roads in the area.

    In his speech, the Commissioner for Budget and Planning, Mr Paul Maiwada, who is from the area, expressed the gratitude of Bassa people to the governor for the honour done their late son, Ali. ( NAN)