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Kogi East Youths reject Senator Attai Aidoko’s re-election; urge constituents to support Victor Adoji as successor

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Youths in Kogi East Senatorial District have rejected the re-election of Senator Attai Aidoko as the 2019 General Elections approach.

They condemned the social media propagandists, who they said spin lies and launder the image of Aidoko for political make over for 2019.

“Their propaganda reflects a depressed and despondent, sad, confused, and a lost generation of youths. We don’t know what we want, where we are coming from, and where we are headed.

“The Igala youths of today have failed to differentiate between their political enemies and political saviors. Our propaganda is full of illuminated sadness and intellectual poverty,” some of the youths told us anonymously.

According to them, Aidoko is the longest-serving federal lawmaker from Kogi East, but ironically, “the worst amongst all, as he has serially failed us in terms of good legislation, provision of amenities through constituency projects and youth empowerment. Aidoko should be told the naked truth. He must be told that the seat of Kogi East doesn’t belong to his family neither any godfather,” they said.

The youths revealed in separate interviews that Senator Aidoko has spent 12 years both in lower and upper chambers of the National Assembly without anything to show for it, adding that it was under his watch that Ibaji oil wells were ceded to Anambra State.

“Senator Aidoko has provided poor representation, starting from his days in the House of Representatives, where he represented Ankpa/Omala/Olamaboro Federal Constituency from 2003 to 2011 and served as Chairman, House Committee on Federal Capital Territory, and later as Chairman, Senate Committee on SEGS.

“As a Senator, he can’t point at one single thing as achievement that we can call his Constituency project.

“He is only after his personal interest and that of his godfather which is not good for our people in need of development. In fact, Aidoko is a liability on the good people of Kogi East and he has no political relevance in both the region and at the national level,” they stated.

The youths noted that Senator Aidoko hails from Ugbamaka-Igah in Olamaboro Local government and that as the Chairman, Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) there is “no project that has come to our land but other senators buy contracts from Senator Aidoko for the interest of their constituencies and he converts the proceeds into buying exotic cars for personal use amid the untold suffering of our people.”

Senator Aidoko, they explained, is not in any way familiar with the saying that ‘charity begins at home,’ while stressing that his people have no water, no electricity, no telephone network, no schools, no single bank neither common ATM in the entire Olamaboro and “of course, no proper health care system yet, we have someone at the senate representing us.

“Aidoko that we know always visit Igala land at night and sneaks out before the crack of dawn.”

“We can’t continue to wallow in this politics of stagnation where some wicked few individuals will gather together to oppose everything that is good for our land.

“Our region has suffered so much neglect despite the facts that we have several opportunities to develop, but we have been suffering so much neglect because of the attitude of some of our leaders.

“The brains of those supporting Senator Aidoko’s 3rd term are notoriously more receptive to short-term rewards.

“Some of them reveal that people without education are like weapons without bullets because they lack education and political consciousness, they can’t choose and seek their interests.

“They can’t choose their ways and directions of life. They can’t set goals for themselves and strive to achieve them. They can’t propel themselves in the right, proper, and straight direction,” they said.

The youths stressed that in 2019 ‘by God’s grace,’ Kogi East must decide their future.

“Our people must stop living like strangers and refugees in their own land. 2019 is another opportunity that we must shake off our restrained spirit of compromise and conformity.

“We must refuse and reject immediate gratification of stomach infrastructure that will prolong our suffering and servitude.

“Kogi youths must be ready to liberate themselves from the compassion, complacency, and solidarity with their oppressors.

“In 2019, we must have the right and power to end our decades of suffering by keeping our PVCs intact to vote out Senator Aidoko and all our leaders that have failed us out of office for a fresh leadership,” they said.

The youths however, urged Kogi East youths and other constituents to resolve “to rally round a common cause that will ultimately produce Dr. Victor Alewo Adoji as the next Senator “to represent us come 2019 by God’s grace.”

They stated that Victor Adoji has the requisite qualities to take development to Kogi East and that he is a man with vision and determination to get things done properly for Igala people as a senator.

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YAHAYA BELLO: PAYMENT OF SCHOOL FEES: SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT 

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NO AMOUNT OF BLACKMAIL WILL MAKE HE YAHAYA BELLO ‘COME THROUGH THE BACKDOOR’

 

 

On Tuesday, 23rd April 2024, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, in a conduct which we view as unbecoming of a Legal Practitioner, organised a press conference where he alleged (amongst other outrightly defamatory statements) that His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, withdrew cash from the Kogi State Government Account, sent same to Bureau De Change Operators and then used same to pay the school fees of his children in advance.

 

According to Olukoyede, the payment was made just about the time the former Governor was to leave office.

 

Since the said press conference, receipts of payments of the said fees bearing the names of His Excellency’s Children and those of other family members, who separately paid their fees, have been flying all over the internet.

 

While we reserve our rights to seek redress against the said defamatory statements, permit us to briefly state the following for the purpose of setting the records straight:

 

1. His Excellency, Yahaya Bello’s children have attended the American International School, Abuja well before he became Governor and he has paid fees for his children as and when due and without fail.

 

2. His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello did not pay the sum of USD720,000 as alleged by the EFCC Chairman or USD840,000 as is being bandied about on the internet.

 

3. The payment of the fees was not effected at about the time his Excellency was to leave office as claimed by Mr. Olukoyede but same commenced in 2021.

 

3. Alhaji Yahaya Bello DID NOT pay the fees of his Children with monies from the Coffers of the Kogi State Government.

 

4. When the EFCC approached the American International School Abuja (AISA) to illegally recover funds legitimately paid by Alhaji Yahaya Bello and other family members, a member of the family challenged the EFCC’s unlawful acts to recover funds legitimately paid. The FCT High Court, in Suit No. FCT/HC/2574/2023 between: Mr. Ali Bello v. The Incorporated Trustees of American International School, Abuja, held that AISA could not lawfully and unilaterally refund to a third party, including the EFCC, fees paid by the parties to the suit.

 

The Court subsequently mandated AISA to continue to provide the services it had been paid with respect to the fees.

 

From the foregoing, it is clear that no money belonging to Alhaji Yahaya Bello or his family members with regard to school fees has been recovered by the EFCC.

 

5. Now, let it be known that, contrary to misleading narratives by the EFCC, all the documents published online i.e. receipts and letters, that the EFCC has released online, in furtherance of its unrelenting persecution of the former Governor, are documents filed by lawyers in the suit instituted on behalf of Alhaji Yahaya Bello and others who paid fees for their wards under the Advance Fee Payment Agreement with AISA.

Those documents, having been filed by his lawyers, are thus public documents, which shows that his Excellency, Yahaya Bello, has nothing to hide with regard to the payment of advance fees for his children. This unending harassment and persecution, even while in office, were among key reasons he sought to enforce his fundamental human rights.

 

6. We state that the payment of these fees and the legitimacy thereof is the subject matter of Charge No. FHC/CR/573/2022, filed by the EFCC since 15th December 2022 at the Federal High Court, Abuja. The Charge is pending and the Court has yet to make any finding or convicted anyone in respect of the said sum.

 

7. It is imperative to remind Mr. Olukoyede, who is a Lawyer, that once parties have submitted a dispute to the Court, they are to shun all actions and statements that may prejudice the hearing of the matter or the mind of the Court.

 

8. Since the matter is sub judice, we say no more, we await the EFCC’s proof of the allegations in Court, which is the only venue where the proof of these allegations matter.

 

9. We thank Nigerians who have recognised the obvious desperation of the EFCC boss to convict the former Governor by all means in the Court of public opinion rather than in the law court, as personal vendetta, with the connivance of like minds, and not a fight against corruption.

 

10.We implore others who might have been misled by their shenanigans not to be fooled by mischievous narratives but to

follow the case through until justice is served.

 

11. Finally, our Principal, Yahaya Bello, doesn’t visit law enforcement agencies “through the backdoor”. He has insisted on following due process in line with the rule of law. No amount of blackmail will intimidate him.

 

Thank you.

 

Signed

Ohiare Michael

MEDIA OFFICE,

HE YAHAYA BELLO

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Commissioner for Justice, Zacchaeus Adangor Resigns After Being Redeployed By Governor Fubara.

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Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General of Rivers State, Zacchaeus Adangor has rejected his redeployment as Commissioner for Special Duties.

Zacchaeus also tendered his resignation from the state executive council.

Zacchaeus had, on 14 December, resigned his position as the Attorney-General of the state following the face-off between Governor Sim Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike.

Zacchaeus and other commissioners who resigned due to the political crisis in the state, however, returned to the government after being reconfirmed by the state House of Assembly.

Fubara, earlier in the week, reshuffled his cabinet and redeployed Zacchaeus as the commissioner for Special Duties (Governor’s Office).

In a letter sighted by DAILY POST and addressed to the Secretary to the Rivers State government, Zacchaeus rejected his new office.

Zacchaeus, a strong ally of Wike, in his resignation letter, accused Governor Fubara of interfering with the performance of his duties as Attorney General of the state.

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Just in: Senator Ayogu Eze Dies At 65

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Famous former lawmaker, Senator Ayogu Eze, is dead. He died at the age of 65.

Ayogu represented Enugu North in the Senate during which time he played key role of the image maker of the Senate.

He died in an Abuja hospital after a protracted illness.

Sources squealed that Ayogu had been down, a situation that made him unable to attend his child’s wedding ceremony held earlier in the year in Lagos State.

He was a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, before he defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, where he ran for Enugu State governorship election.

In the Senate, he was appointed chairman of the senate committee on Information and Media, making him the official spokesperson of the senate in 2007.

After his reelection to the senate in 2011, he was appointed chairman of the committee on works.

Eze also served as a member of committees on Police Affairs, National Planning, Marine Transport and Federal Character & Inter-Government Affairs.

In May last year, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Eze and five others as Federal Commissioners for Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC.

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