Traditional rulers in Kogi West, Central and East have reneged on their adoption of rtd. Vice Admiral Jibrin Usman as the consensus candidate for the November 16 governorship election in the state.
The monarchs had met and adopted Usman as their choice with a resolve to present him to the Presidency.
However, reports indicate that the monarchs have gone back on their word after being cajoled, harassed, and intimidated by Governor Yahaya Bello on their way to Abuja.
According to reports, the traditional rulers from the Central and West had met last week with their counterparts in the East and enquired about their preferred candidate.
At the end of the meeting, all traditional rulers from Kogi Central, West and East Senatorial Zones of the state resolved to adopt Vice Admiral Jibrin Usman as the preferred candidate after being tired of Bello’s government.
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However, on learning about the traditional rulers’ move, Bello summoned all traditional rulers in the State to the Government House in Lokoja where he allegedly threatened to depose any of them who dared to endorse and present any other guber candidate apart from himself.
A source said, “In his usual Brooklyn Movies style, Governor Bello shouted on, bullied and cajoled them into reneging on their earlier resolution and changing the name of their agreed candidate from the Vice Admiral to that of him (Bello) and then presenting same to the Presidency.”
A traditional ruler from Kogi West who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that their original plan was hijacked by the governor.
“We met, discussed, and agreed to present the erstwhile Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Jibrin Usman because we deem him as the only aspirant with the experience and capability to rescue the State from its current precarious predicament. We have always been bullied and affronted by the present governor who has reduced us to insignificant chiefs before our people. He bullied and threatened us to change our choice and we had no option than to do his bid. To obey is better than to be deposed,” he said.
It was also gathered that Bello had earmarked about N500 million for his endorsement project and name presentation to President Muhammadu Buhari as the traditional rulers’ preferred candidate for the November guber today, Wednesday 19, in Abuja.
