Kogi State house of Assembly has berated the the continued persecution , intimidation and harassment of the immediate past governor of the State Yahaya Bello by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC .
Just as a group , the amalgamated Unions of Concerned Kogi Citizens has urged the commission to stop the embarrassment and allow the rule of law to prevail.
The State House of Assembly has condemned in a strongest term the the Chairman of the Commission and the operative over the recent raid on the Abuja residence of the Kogi State governor ,Usman Ododo .
At at plenary session in Lokoja on Monday , the lawmakers also frowned at the incessant harassment and intimidate of the by the operatives of the EFCC on the former governor of the Yahaya when one has petitioned the commission to do so.
The lawmakers concluded that the EFCC had an agenda different from the fight against corruption, which had been revealed by the way the Commission approached the issue of arrest.
They said, must be condemned by all well-meaning Nigerians.
The Speaker of the House of Assembly Yahaya Umar, representing Omala State Constituency said, “The unlawful conducts of the EFCC show that the intention of the chairman is not to arrest former Governor Yahaya Bello, but to ridicule the state.
“The chronology of how the event happened shows that the problem of the chairman is not with the offences being alleged, but that they want to disgrace the defendant and Kogi State in general.”
“The unprovoked attack on the Governor’s Lodge and the firing of live rounds within a diplomatic residential zone further demonstrate that the EFCC has fully marinated in a sense of its own importance and power and now considers itself not only above the law but unanswerable to anyone or institution for its actions.”
“Because the EFCC Chairman has shown constantly, gross incompetence, the House has resolved that the President should relieve him of his appointment with immediate effect and replace him with a competent officer who will give Mr. President’s crusade for rule of law the needed effectiveness,” the lawmakers demanded in their resolution.
In the vein , The Amalgamated Unions of the Concerned Kogi Citizens lent their voices to say no to persecution, intimidation and harassment and long ill-scripted battle plan against Kogi State, stressing that those who were supposed to uphold the laws of the land throwing caution to the wind.
The spokesman of the the group, David Ehimomy made this call at World Press Conference titled :Prosecution or Persecution :A Case of Yahaya Bello and EFCC held in Lokoja yesterday
“We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come to our aid. The same Former Governor Yahaya Bello made sacrifices and challenged vested interests by insisting on the APC Presidential primary election to elect APC candidate in 2023. Without this primary election, Mr President might not have been President today based on conspiracies against his candidature.
“The President should come to our aid in ensuring that professionalism is applied to the prosecution of Former Governor Yahaya Bello, instead of the ongoing persecution as we have noticed the hands of Jacob and Voice of Esau in the scheme of things.
“We are very much concerned about the persecution, intimidation and harassment of Yahaya Bello because as a Governor, he worked in collaboration with various security agencies, tackled insecurity frontally and made our dear state one of the most secure states in the country. We cannot turn our backs on such a leader who has left lasting legacies in the annals of our dear state.
“We are also calling on the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to checkmate the shopping of judgements and granting of conflicting injunctions by some Judges handling corruption cases.
“If the harassment of our leaders go unabated, the People of Kogi state might be forced to make a statement. With our strategic and historical position in Nigeria, bounded by 9 states and the FCT, linking Southern Nigeria to Northern Nigeria, our statement will be very loud.
“We demand that our people be treated with dignity and honour deserving of human beings in the candor of other Nigerians.
“The EFCC should stop further persecution, harassment and intimidation of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, CON and the good people of Kogi State.
“From all indications, the EFCC seems to have an axe to grind with former Governor Bello, and by extension, the entire Kogi State. It is on record that the only former Governor openly handcuffed and paraded by the agency, till date, was a man who governed Kogi State with distinguished accomplishments, which was the Former Governor, Prince Abubakar Audu of blessed memory.
“Just like the current manhunt for Bello, EFCC officials savagely damaged his car and practically dragged him out of his convoy. He was handcuffed and bundled to Lokoja like a common criminal over allegations that were never substantiated. Was he not supposed to be deemed innocent until proven guilty?
“Incidentally, both Audu and Bello are progressive governors with enviable records of achievements in office.
“That they are bent on using a designed script in Bello’s case is an indication that they are heading in the similar direction of embarrassment meted out to the revered former Governor Audu of the blessed memory.
“It is an open secret that Kogi has been subjected repeatedly to second class status when it comes to governance at national level. Kogi state is often overlooked or practically denied when certain positions are zoned to North Central geo-political zone” the spokesman said.
Ibrahim Oyewale
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