Voter registration: I won’t resign —Bello

Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, on Saturday, said he would not resign his position over issues generated by voter registration, discribing those demanding for his resignation as “political jokers”.

He said that the issue was overblown by his opponents to score political points.

Bello, who spoke through his Director-General on Media and Publicity, Kingsley Fanwo, said the issue was straight forward enough as he had accepted the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to cancel the latter registration.

“The governor will not resign. We have listened to INEC and we respect their decisions. Now is time for the commission to fast-track the transfer of the PVC of the governor to Kogi State from Abuja.

“Resignation is completely out of the options and the governor will continue his good works for the people of Kogi State. They and their corrupt sponsors should wait till 2019,” he said.

Bello said he was sure that the members of the state House of Assembly would not be blackmailed into taking steps that would throw the state into crisis.

He, however, expressed disappointment over the role of some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

“It is unfortunate that some APC leaders have constituted themselves into an opposition within their own party, simply because they have lost out in their bid to compromise the system and scam the people of Kogi State.

“One of them has turned himself to a diaspora chairman, who doesn’t know what is happening in Kogi State. He is running from his own shadows and has joined forces with those who want to pull the APC-led government in Kogi State down. He and his co-travelers have not come to terms with a new Kogi State that cannot be compromised. Under Governor Yahaya Bello, it will never be business as usual.

“Change comes with pains. Beneficiaries of the filthy past will continue to resist the new order in Kogi State. They have attempted to incite the populace to insurrection but their plans hit the walls because the people are appreciative of the manner governance is delivered under the present administration,” he said.

“They tried to deceive the people about the hugely successful staff verification exercise but it failed because the people have seen what we are doing with funds saved from the success of the exercise. The roads to their communities are under construction, they now have water, we are subsidizing healthcare, we are making education more attractive for our children and agriculture is taking the centre stage of our economic renaissance.

“But because they want to be Governor in 2020 despite their unpardonable failings, they have continued to dance naked in market places, attempting to scandalise the governor and drag the name of the state in the mud, preaching against their own lifestyle and creating a false impression of the reality of today’s Kogi State.

“Governor Yahaya Bello is a man who is undaunted by the calculated faux against him and the state. To him, he is determined to write his name in gold.

“Governor Yahaya Bello met Kogi State in a deep mess. The people had lost confidence in their leaders. He came with hope, rolled up his sleeves and today, we are celebrating great achievements by the administration. We have better roads in Lokoja and many places across the state, we have restored sanity to our environment, we have many ongoing road projects, we have empowered thousands of youth and women through entrepreneurial training and we have repositioned our healthcare, tourism and educational sector.

“It is ridiculous for a person who has never worked in his life, who has never done any known contract and who was not born into a rich family but yet, controls cars worth hundreds of millions; to turn around and accuse another who was a successful civil servant, successful business magnate and a successful professional, of corruption. We know corruption will continue to fight back but we shouldn’t make Nigeria a laughing stock in the comity of nations”.