By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.

Congress of Ebira Youths For Justice and Fair Play, a socio-political group in Kogi Central Senatorial District, has cautioned Senator Natasha Uduaghan against meddling in the Ex-governor Yahaya Bello and EFCC debacle.

The group gave the caution in a press conference it tagged, “Words of caution for Senator Natasha Uduaghan and FG on Ex-governor Yahaya Bello and EFCC debacle” held on Monday at Intercontinental Hotel Ogaminana in Adavi LGA.

Convener of the group, Comr. Kabiru Usman who addressed the newsmen said the group was made up of representatives of various youths and women organisations from the five Local Government Areas of Kogi Central.

Usman implored Sen. Natasha to note that the political difference between her and former Governor Yahaya Bello was domestic and internal affairs of Ebiraland.

He said that the face off between former Governor Yahaya Bello and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had dire consequences for peace and unity of Kogi state and Nigeria at large, if not properly handled.

He described the matter as political persecution of the former governor in which he alleged that the EFCC had made itself “a willing tool” in the hands of enemies of Ebiraland using the Commission as a canon folder to achieve their clandestine motives.

“Before we delve into the substance of the matter, I want to sound a word of caution to our sister and our Representative at the red chambers of the national Assembly, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“It’s important for the Senator to choose her fight carefully no matter the energy at her disposal. We want to remind her of an Ebira adage which says that no one uses his/her oil to cook toad no matter the abundance of oil at her disposal.

“She should note that the political difference between her and FGYB is domestic and internal affairs of our Land.

“It’s therefore disturbing to see that she is using her past political differences with the former governor to align with enemies of Ebiraland who are using EFCC as a canon folder to achieve their clandestine motives.

He said that the Senator’s support for traducers of Ebiraland in “Yahaya Bello’s persecution has dire political consequences for her now and in the future” adding that no ethnic group in Kogi can love her more than her own.

On the EFCC, Usman said that various legal authorities had spoken on the illegalities of the Commission that suggest that the matter against Yahaya Bello is more of politics than the criminal prosecution.

He said that it was evidently clear from all that had happened “that EFCC is being used as smokescreen by Yahaya Bello’s Political enemies” saying that there was no evidence of formal invitation extended to him by the commission.

“EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede pulled the rug off the Commission’s feet when he went further to allege that Yahaya Bello took $720,000 of Kogi money to pay his children’s school fees in advance at the American international School, Abuja.

“Now, the questions to Mr EFCC chairman, is the former governor’s children not attending the school before he became governor? Was he in anyway indebted to the school on the account of school fees as private citizen?”, He queried.

The group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to wade into the matter saying that there are times when silence is not golden saying, “We urge him to immediately call the EFCC boss to order if the anti corruption fight is to be taken seriously under his watch.” (Ends)

***Alleges, Ex- gov is using Kogi State Judiciary to fight EFCC

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been urged to call to order the immediate past governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello and stop him from tramping on institutions in the state.
The call was made by a group, the Northern Initiative For the Defence of Democracy and Justice.
A statement made available to news men in Abuja on Monday by the President of the group, Ambassador Nurudeen Musa Sadiq and Secretary: Hajjia Ramatu AbdulRahaman, appealed to the National Judicial Council (NJC) to wade into attempts by the former governor to ruin the image of the judiciary.

According to the statement, “Ex-Governor Bello is not above the laws of Nigeria, as such, he should be fished or flushed out from his hide out and made to face the law to serve as an example to his co travelers.

“The underlining fact is that the citizens of the state have the right to know how their collective wealth was spent, and the former governor is under the mandate of the law to explain how he distributed their wealth.

“We stand to say at this junction that, if nothing tangible is done about the antics of ex governor Bello, it can be well said ‘we are gradually taking the road to Kigali, because of its envisaged spiral effect.

“On the basis of this , we urge President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to call Yahaya Adoza Bello to order and put him where he belongs before his antics collapse our much cherished democracy.

“We also appeal to the Nigeria Judicial Council(NJC), to as a matter of urgency wade in and nip in the bud the move by the ex-governor to bring the judiciary of this nation into disrepute.

“We had instances when some ex governors, public office holders and other prominent Nigerians, including those in private sector were dragged before the law to explain their stewardship while in office.

“For instance, former governors of Plateau and Taraba states , Joshua Dariye and Rev Jolly Nyame and other prominent Nigerians who were found wanting in their stewardship were made to serve various jail terms for their crimes.

“Alhaji Yahaya Bello cannot be treated as a sacred cow, for he that aspire to the hall of equity must be seen with clean hands. We know what he did and stand for while holding leadership mantle in the state.

“The EFCC boss, Ola Olukoyede was quoted as saying recently that he will resign from his appointment, if he failed to prosecute the ex governor of Kogi over alleged monumental corruption to its logical conclusion.

“That statement shows that there is a ray of hope in the horizon, that no one can divert public funds and go scot-free.

“We hereby commend the EFCC boss for his tenacity of purpose by his efforts in calling a spade by its name and moving against the ex governor.

“We have also discovered that the ex governor is not resting on his oars.
He is currently exploiting the weak links in the nation’s laws, particularly the judiciary to evade prosecution for his alleged sleaze, while in office”

By Yinka Adaranijo

In our democracy history, there has never been a time an ex governor approved all expenses and sharing of looted public funds openly, as it is the case with Kogi State, currently. And these nefarious activities have continued unabated, right inside the Lugard House, whilst the fleeing ex-governor evaded the handcuffs of anti-graft departments to seek sanctuary under the misused immunity of his successor, Usman Ododo.

Recall that Ododo, sometimes after his elections last year, in a viral video had shocked the world when he said that if he gives a directive and the ex-governor gives a directive, his own (Ododo’s directive) should be ignored.

The fact that ex-Governor Yahaya Bello has been indicted alongside the Chief of Staff to Governor Ododo, Ali Bello by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in financial mal-practices involving over N80bn and him Bello recently declared wanted, a warrant of arrest issued and placed on the watchlist of thenation’s immigration service, one would wonder what point is a sitting Governor trying to prove by housing him in the state Government House.

Bello allegedly has been camped there now for over two weeks. This audacious action of Governor Ododo needs to be reprimanded by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the federal government so as not to set a bad precedence for other governors to emulate.

By law, Bello is a wanted criminal, now a fugitive, and having such a character in the government house poses a threat to the safety of all law abiding residents of Lokoja, the state capital and environs. Many of the residents live in atmosphere of fear while others are awaiting the disaster that looms.

It is also of note that when Mr Bello was under siege in his in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja residence by the EFCC operatives who arrived there around 9:00 am that fateful day, 3 hours later (about 11:00 am), after he must have put a call across to Ododo, the state Governor, Governor Ododo came to rescue him in the company of the Police, DSS and hired thugs. The thugs chanted anti-FG slogans such as “Shame to EFCC”, “Shame on Ribadu”,
“Shame on Gbajabiamila”.

Federal Security agencies should immediately investigate the fresh whistleblowers allegations that these three groups – the police, the DSS and thugs are in government House Lokoja with marabouts and magicians consulting for the ex-Governor.

With these embarrassing scenarios, how would the citizens have confidence in the nation’s security agencies who are working hand in hand with thugs claiming to be safeguarding the ex-Governor.

Federal Government as a matter of urgency ought to come to the aid of all Kogi citizens and put a stop to these unfortunate incidents so that the people will know that their hopes are truly renewed in this government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

For the umpteenth time, the federal government must act to the effect that following the use of the governor’s motorcade to ferry away the embattled Yahaya Bello, Ododo’s action amounted to harbouring of a fugitive, obstruction of justice, and the misuse of state resources. In the words of human rights lawyer, Deji Ajare, this infectious action of Ododo’s and the inherent potential breaches of statutory duties imposed by the Constitution and other relevant laws of the country, poses a threat to our democracy, if such precedence is allowed.

•Yinka Adaranijo, a public affairs analyst writes from Kaduna