The frosty relationship in the Kogi State All Progressives Congress, APC, and Governor Yahaya Bello, has deepened the crisis in the party as leaders now work as at cross purposes, passing a vote of no confidence and a vote of confidence on the governor.
While the State Executive Council, SEC passed ‘vote of no confidence’ on the governor; and some aggrieved stakeholders asked the governor to resign; wards executives across the 21 local government councils and the youths wing of the party threw their weight behind the governor.
It will be recalled that the SEC after a meeting weekend, passed a vote of no confidence on the governor, worsening the frosty relationship between the governor and the state leaders of the party.
The SEC also wrote a letter to the party’s national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, claiming that since the governor assumed office, he had not related with the party, alleging that Bello had completely ignored the party in the scheme of things, particularly in the appointments made so far.
The party also urged the national secretariat not to allow the governor nominate replacement for the late Minister of State for Labour, Chief James Ocholi, to avoid a repeat of appointing a non-party member as a minister representing the state in the Federal Executive Council.
Similarly, party stakeholders after a meeting on Sunday, asked the governor to resigned from his office.
But in a swift reaction, the party youths and wards leaders passed vote of confidence on the governor, dissociating themselves from the purported crisis rocking the party in the state.
The youths and wards leaders while reacting to the vote of no confidence by state leaders of the party , claimed the SEC members were sponsored by the deputy governorship candidate of the party in last year governorship election, James Faleke.
State APC youth leader, Emmanuel Ayobami and spokesperson of the wards leaders, Deborah Oyiza in a separate briefing yesterday, also insisted that the decision of the state leaders were at variance with the reality on ground.
According to them: “Certain individuals and interest groups within the rank and file of APC in Kogi State are making public a dishonourable intent to subvert the APC government of Governor Yahaya Bello. As governor of Kogi, Bello remains the APC leader in the state. The agents of confusion have sworn to put all manners of impediment in the path of the new administration in order to derail the New Direction to peace, unity and progress in which the governor has started moving Kogi State after many years of ruin by previous administrations.”
The Governor, through his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy, Abdulkarim Abdulmalik berated members of the SEC, declaring that he had a right to pick his appointees from any party he wished.
He said “It is my constitutional responsibility to appoint my personal aides without any recourse to the party or group of people, provided the person meets the requirement as stipulated by law of the land”.
The governor who said he was yet to be informed by the National Secretariat of the party about the petition insisted he was running an all inclusive government and that the APC leadership was free to recommend any body for any appointment provided the person met criteria for such position,
Also reacting, Faleke in a statement by the Chairman, Media and Publicity of his campaign organisation, Duro Meseko asked the governor and the party to leave him alone and face their trouble.
He added, “For the umpteenth time, am constrained to respond to the very hollow and ridiculous allegation by a negligible faction of ward and local government executives of the APC in Kogi State that Hon James Faleke was behind the vote of no confidence passed on Alhaji Yahaya Bello by the State Exco of the party last week.”
