Angry Bello accuses chairmen of pocketing money after governorship poll defeat in Kogi East district

The Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yayaha Bello, has queried eight out of the nine Local Government Area Chairmen in the Eastern Senatorial District of the state.

Recall that the chairmen failed to deliver the councils to the All Progressives Congress during the November 11 governorship election.

The chairmen include those of Omala, Ofu, Dekina, Ankpa, Olamaboro, Ibaji,  Igalame/Odolu and Idah local government areas.

Arewa PUNCH reports that the query was a fallout of the stakeholders’ meeting with members of the party which was held last week after the poll where the governor who spoke extempore expressed “disappointment with the chairmen for not living up to expectations” despite being mobilised to deliver their local government areas for the party.

As a result, he asked them to explain why the party performed badly in their respective council areas.

A source at the event said the visibly angry governor also expressed his deep disappointment in the chairmen for allegedly collecting unspecified sums of money from the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaib Audu under the guise of “mobilisation votes, even after the huge amount of money had been given to them at the Government House before the election day.

Bello noted that they still failed to deliver the necessary votes as APC only managed to win in the Bassa LGA.

“The implications of this is that the mobilisation fund ended up in private pockets and was not used for the purpose it was meant for,” the governor was quoted to have said.

He was equally said to have told the members present at the meeting that a questionnaire would be sent to them, which they should mandatorily submit by midday of Tuesday.

Arewa PUNCH reports that the tenure of the chairmen expires on December 12, 2023, however, it was further gathered that they may be sent packing before the day, even as there are talks that they may be forced to refund the mobilisation funds they collected before the election.