Indigenes of Kogi State have cautioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against those they described as embittered and ethnic jingoists who are strengthening the public opinion that the agency is collaborating with certain opposition figures to persecute the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
The indigenes said that since the EFCC’s allegation of corruption against Bello became a national discourse, “some persons who are afraid of chasing their dreams at the polls have hidden under the veneer of activism to sponsor their tribesmen to impugn the character of ex-Governor Yahaya Bello maliciously.”
Addressing a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the chairman of Kogi Youth Leaders Forum, Benjamin Oguche, said those still calling for Bello’s arrest, even in the face of an ongoing court process, were either uninformed or out to rubbish the image of the EFCC while pursuing their prolonged vendetta mission.
The youth leader said a particular group had consistently pursued a “we against them” agenda, causing division and hate among the ethnic groups in Kogi, spreading falsehood and propaganda to the public on the matter.
“It is sad and regrettable that the so-called corruption allegation against Bello, which remains an allegation until established in the court of law, has become an opportunity for chronic political failures to unleash their intolerance and deep-rooted frustration on a state that our founding fathers have laboured so hard to unite.
“Without credible reasons, they have been said to have mobilised resources to fight him for daring to govern a state he hails from and for overseeing a free and fair election which produced another governor, not from their fold,” they stated.
According to them, the polarisation, ethnic, and religious coloration recently introduced into the EFCC trial of the former governor calls for worry, especially among every Kogi indigene who has a firm belief in the peaceful co-existence of the state as an indivisible entity.
“Suffice it to say that what we see playing out today is a microcosm of what our country represents, where the so-called minority is discriminated against, sidelined and treated like a lesser citizen in a country he has made equal, if not greater, contributions to the building. The so-called minority has been made to believe his voice does not count and his fundamental right to pursue social, economic and political interests has been taken away.
“Since through divine providence that former Governor Yahaya Bello became governor in 2016, several arrows of ethnic bitterness, needless attacks and corruption profiling have been targeted at him and his government for no offence other than for the simple reason that the responsibility to lead our dear state at that time fell on his shoulder.
“While God saw him through his four years in office, the people of our dear state equally and overwhelmingly renewed their mandate for him, sending him to go again amidst hate campaigns, violence attacks and ethnic war by some ethnic-driven elites who have sworn never to allow certain ethnic groups a taste of leading the state. While this gathering is not about the catalogue of exploits he achieved and the records he broke within these eight years, it is important to note that since he left office, the same known tribal jingoists and ethnic champions have been having sleepless nights plotting the downfall of the ma,” the group said.
