*Stakeholders pledge loyalty to Governor Yahaya Bello
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Kogi East chapter, has warned a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) from the North-Central state, Murtala Yakubu, against sponsoring fake reports and organising dubious press conferences aimed at painting a false picture of happenings in the party.
The party, in a statement signed by the Zonal Chairman, APC Kogi East, Hon. Mohammed Nasir Alfa, said the party would not condone a situation in which emergency political desperados would throw fire to the roof of the party just because they lacked the capacity to pick the governorship ticket.
“Those who have picked nomination forms are free to test their popularity instead of sponsoring ill-fated press conferences to destabilise the party,” Alfa said.
According to the Kogi East APC chairman, the party is one united family “and the detribalised nature of Governor Yahaya Bello has built the party to the point of creating a strong platform for equity, competence and capacity.
“Never again shall selfish, self-serving and desperate politicians use ethnicity as a spring to political positions in our dear state. We stand solidly with the Governor who has built our dear party into a political fortress,” he said.
While dissociating Kogi East APC from the press conference allegedly sponsored by Yakubu, the chairman said it was imperative to state in the strongest of terms that the Kogi East APC was in support of measures taken by Governor Yahaya Bello to strengthen the security architecture of the state.
“His choice to prioritise security over politics should be commended by all. We stand by him on that. On the purported suspension of certain individuals within the party in Kogi East, it is ludicrous to accuse the same Governor who put the situation under control of also being the one stoking the violence.
“The Governor has provided excellent leadership and support to the party and we owe our strings of successes in various circles of elections to his purposeful, dynamic and pragmatic leadership,” he stated.
The statement reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a dubious press conference by some self-serving people who claimed to have spoken on behalf of the Kogi East APC during which they attacked Governor Yahaya Bello on sundry issues ranging from happenings in the State House of Assembly and the ongoing process to nominate the Governorship candidate of our dear party.
“It is imperative to state here in the strongest of terms that the Kogi East APC is in support of measures taken by His Excellency Alh. Yahaya Bello to strengthen the security architecture of the state. His choice to prioritize security over politics should be commended by all.
“We stand by him on that. On the purported suspension of certain individuals within the party in Kogi East, it is ludicrous to accuse the same Governor who put the situation under control of also being the one stoking the violence.
“The Governor has provided excellent leadership and support to the party and we owe our strings of successes in various circles of elections to his purposeful, dynamic, and pragmatic leadership.
“The Kogi East APC will not condone a situation in which emergency political desperados will throw fire to the roof of the party just because they feel they lack what it takes to clinch the party’s Governorship ticket.
“Those who have picked nomination forms are free to test their popularity instead of sponsoring ill-fated press conferences to destabilize the party. Punitive measures by the constitution of the party shall be meted out to erring members and their surrogates.
“Kogi APC is one united family and the detribalized nature of the Governor has built the party to the point of creating a strong platform for equity, competence, and capacity. Never again shall selfish, self-serving, and desperate politicians use ethnicity as a spring to political positions in our dear state.
“We stand solidly with the Governor who has built our dear party into a political fortress.”
