Warning: Attempt to read property "post_excerpt" on null in /home/kogiflam/public_html/wp-content/themes/morenews/single.php on line 55
Kogiflame.com
The cold war between the Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Elder Simon Achuba and Governor Yahaya Bello has taken a dangerous dimension as Achuba on Thursday alleged that his life is in danger saying Governor Bello is after his life.
He made this known while addressing newsmen at his official residence in Lokoja.
According to him, from all information available to him he suspect strongly that the governor has mobilized his government to attack him.
“This I want to put to the public and draw the attention of the Inspector General of Police the Director of State Security Service and law enforcement agents that if anything happens to me and any member of my family or any of my staff he should be held responsible.
“You can not by force continue to rule on the people you are called to serve and it is on this note I want to appeal to law enforcement agent and the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to beam his light upon kogi state because of the level of insecurity that is currently affecting the state.
The insecurity in kogi state today and the fear of the people of kogi state is not about arm robbery it’s not even about kidnapping anymore it’s not about ritual Killers rather it is about the gunmen of the governor who terrorise the public without being restrained,” he said.
Elder Achuba noted that as a deputy governor he has been traveling for the past two years since 2017 and the Governor has refused to pay him his allowances.
“My salary is N385,000. How can the governor assumed that I should run the office of the deputy governor if there are no other money outside my salary.
“If you have been given the opportunity to serve at any level and you are exhibiting behaviour like this how do you expect people to described you after you leave office.
He lamented that his problem with the governor started right from the inception of the administration when he failed to pay salary to workers in the state.
According to him, his position was that salary should be paid to workers because they work for it but unfortunately despite large sum Bello’s administration was getting he refused to pay workers salary.
He also said that in the last three years the governor can not point at any single project embarked upon by his administration.
“Leaders should not be a master who boost, you should be a leader who is ready to serve the people. I belief that who ever has the opportunity of being a governor should humble himself in all honesty and not going about fighting people even when the fight is unnecessary and avoidable,” he said.
Meanwhile in a swift reaction, the Kogi State Government has denied the allegations.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the Chief Press Secretary , Onogwu Mohammed , the Government described the report as bogus and an exhibition of a blind rage by an angry suckling with a long-term pattern of abnormal behavior characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance.
“The Kogi State Government is appalled that a Deputy Governor, who should epitomize leadership and good example in all senses, could descend so low to employ smear campaign against the person of His Excellency, Governor Yahaya Bello and we state without equivocation that Mr Achuba has no shred of evidence for his reckless surmising which is nothing but a scripted venture in ruinous adventure. We do not train assassins, (and) as such, the state government or her personnel cannot be involved in sending assassins to murder any human soul let alone a Deputy Governor of our dear state.”
“Despite these unsubstantiated ramblings however, we deemed it fit to clear the air by letting the general public know that the Kogi State Government would not be dragged into any form of political gerrymandering concocted for the furtherance of any person’s political interest or notoriety.”
The state government challenged Mr Achuba to bring evidence of his claims or desist from making further spurious allegations.
“We warn Mr Simon Achuba who is known to history as a man whose affinity for violence is unparalleled not to judge us by his own standards. The report of the Kogi State Government Commission of Enquiry on the Iyaño Ethnic crises in 2017 is still fresh in our memories.
“The Kogi State government led by Alhaji Yahaya Bello , therefore, rejects the futile attempt at seeking to link it to any assassination attempt on the Deputy Governor and we advice that people desist from seeking political capital from scenarios they imagine would advance their parochial cause, no matter how banal such causes may seem.”
“Nigerians and Kogites in particular are aware that it is not in the character of the administration to persecute perceived opponents let alone the second in command of New Direction team. We have remained a model for peaceful engagement and political dialogue. Any inclination at portraying us otherwise will not be acceptable,” the statement added.
