Group accuses Yahaya Bello of forcing unity list on Kogi delegates ahead of APC primaries

As the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) prepares to conduct its primaries, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has been accused of forcing his state delegates to do his bidding.

This allegation was leveled against Bello by a concerned group of the APC known as Integrity Forum in Kogi.

The group claimed the governor, who is also a presidential aspirant is forcing a unity list on the state's delegates.

The forum also revealed that the same tactic was used during the last cycle of elections three years ago, when the delegates had their right to choose a candidate but they were stampeded.

According to the group, Governor Bello hosted a stakeholder meeting on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, at the Ladi Kwali Hall of Sheraton Hotel where he presented a unity list of the supposed candidates of the party but cleverly said he was going to send the State Chairman of the party, Hon. Abdullahi Bello to all aspirants on the final decision taken by the party leadership.

Members of the group have, however, urged the National leadership of the party headed by Senator Adamu Abdullahi to call the Kogi State leadership of the party to order immediately.

In a statement sent to journalists on Friday, May 27, 2022, the Integrity Forum alerted the national chairman and the leadership of the APC to take note of the state government’s plan through the state chairman of the party.

The concerned group also urged security agencies to intervene, especially the Nigeria Police, the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the military, stressing that life and safety of all other aspirants, their supporters, party faithful, and delegates must be guaranteed and protected.

The statement read in part: “It is important to note that actions that undermine the judicious process of elections is against the tenets of democracy as the delegates should be allowed to elect a candidate (s) of their choice so as to have worthy and generally acceptable candidates to fly the flag of the party at the state and national level.

‘’The State Chairman, Abdullahi Bello, all the political appointees as well as Executive Chairmen of the Local Governments who were to lead the delegates to the venues of the primaries should be cautioned to allow the delegates to vote for the aspirants of their choice.

‘’Kogi State should lead by example because the Executive Governor of the state, Alhaji Yahya Bello who is also aspiring to be a president of the nation and has insisted on party primaries either by direct or indirect.

The group called on the party's national chairman to caution the Kogi state chairman of the party to do the right thing in “strict compliance with the tenets of democracy where justice, equity, and fairness are allowed to reign”.