Yahaya Adoza Bello, 40, was on Wednesday inaugurated governor of Kogi State, amidst controversies and litigations.
Bello, who inherited the political fortunes of the All Progressives Congress candidate Abubakar Audu who had already won a substantial part of the governorship election, is facing litigation both from his party and its main rival the Peoples Democratic Party..
Notwithstanding all these, Bello’s inauguration which took place at the Confluence Stadium, Lokoja, the state capital was witnessed by a mammoth crowd of supporters and well wishers.
The visibly elated Bello re-echoed the inaugural speech of President Muhammadu Buhari in his inaugruation address to the people. He said, “Like President Muhammadu Buhari, I belong to everyone and to no one.”
The new governor who makes history of sorts having been inaugurated without a deputy and also being the first chief executive of the state to emerge from the minority Ebira , also promised equity and justice in governance, saying: “Though tribe and tongue may differ but in brotherhood we stand.”
He expressed his commitment to transparency, accountability and development while in office.
He praised the late Audu whom he described as a great leader that paved the way for the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polls.
Cheered on by the crowd of supporters as the Chief Judge, Justice Nasiru Ajana administered the oath of office and during his inaugural address, .Bello promised to carry everybody along, and work hand in hand with the judiciary and the legislature to deliver dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
But the PDP in reaction to the inauguration,described it as “a comical event organised by the APC for the swearing-in of one Yahaya Bello, a man who did not participate in the overall election, as Kogi State governor.”
According to party in a statement signed by its National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo, Bello as a shadow-chasing passerby on an excursion in Kogi State Government House, since the so-called swearing-in ceremony, having no bearing from the votes at election is at best an APC function.
“The people of Kogi are aware that the man being paraded by the APC is not the person they exercised confidence in at the election as he scored a paltry 6885 vote in the so-called supplementary election as against the 204,877 votes polled by the PDP candidate, Alhaji Idris Wada in the overall election.
“However, as a law-abiding party, we hereby urge our members and the people of Kogi State to remain calm and not despair over this slap on democracy as the courts would soon deliver justice with regard to the authentic governor with the mandate of the majority at the election.”
In his reaction to Bello’s inauguration, James Faleke, who rejected the position of deputy governor, even though he is seen as the offical deputy governor to Bello, described what happened in Kogi was a coup against democracy.
Falek, who has resumed on his post in an elected member of House of Represntatives, is in court where he is contesting the propriety of Bello’s election.
He claims that he is the right person to be inaugurated as governor of the state having been on the joint ticket of late Audu.
Besides, Faleke contends that the Independent NAtional Electoral Commission ought have declared Audu and himself winner of the governorship poll in the state, saying that the deceased candidate and himself won enough votes and achieved the required spread to have been declared winner in the first ballot..
Faleke at the Channels Television programme, Politics Today, said that he would pursue his course to a logical conclusion, saying that the only condition for him to settle out of court is for Bello to resign, as that is what the people want.
