Group Wants Yahaya Bello’s Successor To Be Produced From Kogi West

Kogi Justice Forum, a socio-political organization, has joined forces with other organizations and notable locals to demand equity, justice, and fairness by allowing Kogi West produce the future governor of Kogi State.

Speaking to reporters over the weekend in Lokoja, the forum, which is made up of notable figures from the state’s three senatorial districts, claimed that the Kogi West senatorial district has never had a taste of the governorship position since the state’s formation more than 32 years ago.

Igala, Ebira, and Yoruba-Okun people make up the state’s three main tribal groups, according to the group’s spokesperson, Alhaji Hassan Ojochene, an Igala man. The central senatorial district also produced the current governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, whose second term will conclude in January 2024. The Igala in the eastern senatorial district has produced three governors at various times, including Prince Abubaker Audu, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, and Capt. Idris Wada.

The group’s representative claimed that since the state’s founding, the Eastern and Central senators’ respective roles in managing and overseeing its resources have been fairly balanced.

According to the political arrangement, Kogi West must now produce the next governor, and he claimed it would be more just if Kabba, the senatorial capital of Kogi West, were given the chance to experience the lofty position first.

The organization said that the selection of Kabba was made due to the town’s population and the fact that it has a long history, dating back to the Kabba Province, which the group claimed served as the backbone of Northern Nigeria’s civil service.

In addition, the group claimed that Kabba, a cosmopolitan town, should receive compensation by allowing residents to be considered for the coveted position regardless of political affiliation because the town narrowly missed being designated as the state capital in August 1991 when General Ibrahim Babangida established the state.

Labour Party adopts Seyi Makinde as governorship candidate in Oyo

Gov. Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been chosen as the Labour Party (LP) in Oyo State’s nominee for the March 11 governorship election on Sunday in Ibadan.

At a press conference, LP Chairman Sadiq Atayese stated that the party’s state working committee supported Makinde’s candidacy as a person of character, ability, and capacity who would represent the interests of the people.

He then advised the electorate to support LP candidates in the state assembly elections.

According to the outcomes of the presidential election on February 25 and the political landscape in our state, it is evident that no one party can win the upcoming governor election by themselves.

Making sure that citizens win by electing a candidate who best represents their shared interests should be the top concern.

In light of this, the time has come for political parties and their candidates to team up with other candidates who share their ideologies, he said.

Mr. Atayese claims that the LP had therefore chosen to support the candidate whose ideologies align with its own in terms of safety of lives and property, development of infrastructure, food security, education, and the development of human capital.

It is noteworthy that the current PDP administration, led by Governor Makinde, has provided security and others with a scorecard from the health sector that includes the establishment of Primary Healthcare Centers in every ward.

He became a leader with exceptional innovation because to his governance ideas in the creation of the Park Management System, which other governments now imitate.

“From our assessment as a party, Makinde has done well, and we know that stability in government is a function of continual development of a state,” he said.

Mr. Atayese emphasized that Oyo State has undergone significant change over the previous four years, thus it only made sense that the good work should continue.

“As citizens, we must uphold the dignity of our heritage in order to fulfill our obligation to do so.

“We thoroughly analyzed the character, competency, capacity, and compassion for the people of the numerous governorship candidates for the March 11 election.

“Gov. Makinde outperformed the competition, thus the LP in Oyo state has resolved to use its structure throughout the 33 local government areas to back his re-election for another four years of enormous progress,” Mr. Atayese emphasized.

Plateau APC Guber Candidate Denies Being Agent Of Hausa-Fulani Caliphate

Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda, the All Progressive Congress’ candidate for governor on the Plateau in strong terms through the “All Progressive Congress Dr Nentawe Yilwatda Generation Next Campaign Council” has called the claim that APC governorship candidate Dr. Nentawe Yilwatda is a stooge of the Fulani caliphate on the Plateau wicked and ridiculous.

In a statement released on Sunday in Jos and provided to the Middle Belt Times, the spokesman Shittu Bamaiyi noted that it is rather unfortunate and narrow-minded of the opposition parties to descend to such low levels and make such venomous accusations in an effort to poison the minds of the unsuspecting electorate on the plateau.

The opposition, specifically the PDP and the Labour party, have resorted to falsely accusing Nentawe of being a tool of the Hausa-Fulani in the governorship contest in Plateau state, according to the campaign council’s spokesman.

The second finest ICT engineer in the nation at the time, according to Shittu, Nentawe meritoriously rose to become a consultant for the African Union, UNICEF, and the United Nations in the field of software application.

He added that Nentawe’s unparalleled skill in designing and overseeing the ICT system within the company had left an enduring impression on INEC.

Shittu argued that since this is the case, it is not unexpected that numerous private companies and state governments have turned to Nentawe for knowledgeable guidance on ICT.

Regarding the claim that Nentawe carried out the Hausa-Fulani agenda in Benue state while serving as an INEC commissioner, Shittu revealed that it was during his time in office that the APC lost control of the state to the point where Senator George Akume, the current minister of special duties, lost his seat in the Senate.

Shittu added that the APC campaign council does not view the party’s governorship primary as a controversial affair and will not be distracted by it, especially if it comes from the opposition.

Shittu, the spokesperson for the campaign council, said it is not surprise that the opposition would start smearing or using Nentawe as a political pawn because they always view him as their worst nightmare.

According to Shittu, Nentawe’s qualifications in terms of pedigree, knowledge, exposure, and foresight for a better Plateau are comparable to those of no other governorship candidate in the state.

Suspected Fulani herdsmen killed pastor and two sons in Plateau

Around 11 p.m. on Saturday, the gunmen burst into the community and began firing to split the populace before attacking the pastor’s home.

Reverend Musa Hyok, a pastor with the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), and his two sons, Emmanuel Musa and Mang Musa, were killed in the night attack in the Ganawuri town of the Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State by suspected Fulani herders.

According to a source from the neigbourhood, the gunmen, who reportedly numbered around twenty, broke into the neighborhood at around 11:00 p.m. on March 4, 2023, and went on a shooting rampage to disperse the populace before attacking the pastor’s home.

According to a source from the neighborhood, the gunmen were carrying out a retaliation strike after three Fulani youths were killed nearby a few days prior.

According to Song Mura, a young leader in the neighborhood, the problem began when some suspected Fulani kidnappers were detained last Wednesday during market day but later escaped into the hands of Fulani vigilante, who were to hold them until the arrival of security personnel.

Muru claims that despite numerous discussions and pleas for calm, the event turned into a fight, then a crisis, which resulted in the deaths of three adolescents.

Police in the state’s spokesperson, DSP Alfred Alabo, who verified the event, said the command has launched an inquiry to identify those responsible.