The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has accused some senators of turning the hallowed red chambers of the National Assembly into a “laughing stock” by their actions and utterances.
He said this on a Channels TV programme, Politics Today.
Bello equally faulted claims in some sections that politics as practised in the state under his administration is a “threat to democracy”.
The governor is known to be at loggerheads with two senators from the state: Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) and Senator Ahmed Ogembe (Kogi Central).
He said, “First, I want to assure the people of Kogi State and the people of Nigeria that Kogi State is stable politically, economically we are getting stabilised security-wise.
When I resumed office on January 27, 2016, I met a state that was bastardised economically, and we were facing a lot of insecurity in the land at that time like kidnapping, armed robbery and what have you. The state was largely divided along ethnic lines, religious lines and class difference.
Just 24 months into this administration, we were able to stabilise the state. Today Kogi State is the safest in the country. Today our economy is stabilising, the people of Kogi State will see ourselves as one indivisible entity. The people of the central, basically the Ebira, our brothers from Igala land that is the Kogi East Senatorial district and the Okun people where Senator Dino Melaye represents. We look at ourselves as one individual Kogi citizens first before you talk about where you come from. Now regarding the threat to democracy, I think Nigerians today know exactly who and who are threats to democracy in Nigeria.”
The governor added, “Now like I told you, we know who are threats to democracy in Nigeria today. First of all, we have a Senate occupied by some men of integrity and while we have some who are just making the Red Chamber a laughing stock.
We have the national budget, up till now no mentioning of it. We have a lot of appointments made by Federal Government to various parastatals and agencies of government. Today they are lying in the minutes, none is being cleared and several other issues. So when we are talking about threats to democracy, I think they should ask themselves. I have great respect for some of them who are there in the Senate that are very concerned about the development of this country. I am sure the rest, you will be able to know about that.
As far as Kogi State is concerned, among the legislature, we are living harmoniously, and they are assisting my government in moving forward. You are talking about infrastructure, go to Kogi State today and compare it to 13 years of PDP rule in the state. In just 12 months, you will be able to answer the question that some of us are raising for us here.
Even in their various constituencies, you can see that our people are going to the stream to go and fetch water. We have a lot and massive water projects going on in the state, massive road construction going on in the state. Go to the state capital and look at it and compare it to when I assumed office. They are Abuja-based politicians, they have lost touch. They don’t know what is happening in Kogi State.”
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