Kogi Gov’ship Election: Buhari Snubs Yahaya Bello

Nigeria electoral system will undergo another litmus test on its embattled integrity as the Kogi State gubernatorial election rolls around in November 2019.

Incumbent governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, is battling to swim against the prevailing political current in the effort to remain the governor of the north-central state.

Information available to 247ureports.com obtained from sources within the Kogi government indicates Bello may have even steeper obstacles to surmount against the upcoming gubernatorial election.

This is as the President’s wife, Aisha Buhari, recently rebuffed Yayaha Bello’s appeal to assist him to reach out to President Muhammadu Buhari concerning his endangered situation with the All Progressive Congress (APC).

The APC’s body language in the past weeks had suggested to the Kogi Governor – in a very vivid manner – the party will not offer him the ticket/platform to contest for the gubernatorial elections.

The national chairman of the party, Adamu Aliyu Oshiomole, in a private discussion, pointed to the dwindled popularity of the Kogi Governor as the major reason for declining to put Yahaya Bello forward for the gubernatorial exercise. “APC will lose”.

Oshiomole, in his calculation, believes the Kogi Governor had performed terribly below expectation as governor – and the people of the State have since turned their backs against him.

Particularly, the monarch of the community where Yahaya Bello hails from had told the governor publicly that he may not be able to successfully convince his community to cast votes for him.

Beyond Oshiomole, the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu has his impositions against the continued stay of Yahaya Bello as the Governor of Kogi State.

Bola Tinubu, as sources indicate, has his choice candidate – and is willing to go ‘any length’ to impose his choice candidate.

Tinubu also believes the “APC will lose” if the gubernatorial ticket is given to Yahaya Bello.

Not to be outdone, Yahaya Bello initially in a kneejerk reaction threatened abandonment of the APC for the Accord Party but he quickly coiled away from the threat – only to make a public announcement he remains a bonafide member of the APC.

Yahaya Bello, in the past, had been a frequent guest of the President and his wife.

He had boasted severally that the President considers him his son – and will not allow anything ‘bad’ befall him under his watch.

But Yahaya Bello’s hopes on lobbying Buhari through his wife was dashed in unequivocal terms.

This was as the First Lady declined a request from the Kogi State Governor – for a brief meeting to plead his case – and for Aisha to, in turn, present his case to the President.

Our source indicates that Buhari’s wife along with the President have resolved to toe the same line as the national party chairman.