SAN FRANCISCO, MAY 26, (THEWILL) – Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Kogi state have called on the state Governor, Yahaya Bello, to resign over accusation that he registered twice for the Permanent Voter Card.
Senator Dino Melaye, senator representing Kogi West, made the call on behalf of the group, at a news briefing in Abuja on Friday.
Melaye said the people of Kogi State and the party were dissociating themselves from the act and called on Bello to resign immediately or risk impeachment.
“This executive recklessness and impunity is what we are reacting to. We are saying that as stakeholders in Kogi politics and the All Progressives Congress (APC),” he said.
“We condemn in its entirety the fraudulent behaviour of Yahaya Bello, the Executive Governor of Kogi State.
“This criminal behaviour has embarrassed the people of Kogi state and the APC. We dissociate ourselves from this criminal behaviour.
“Kogi people are responsible people and we expect to have a responsible governor. As at the time he was contesting that election, it showed that he was not a registered voter in Kogi state.
“Since he knew he was not registered in the state, why did he in the first place accept the candidacy of the party?
“So, on this note, we are calling immediately for the resignation of the governor because a criminal awaiting trial cannot be representing the people of Kogi state as governor.
“If he has integrity, he should honourably resign and if the governor refuses to resign, we are going to mobilise our members in the House of Assembly to start an impeachment process against him.
“We will do this because we have a valid point as expressed by INEC.
“He has disgraced the party we are so proud of; he has disgraced the people of Kogi state enough by not paying salaries.
“Our people are dying. This 419 entrant into government should cease and we are going to follow it to the letter.
“This will give the APC electoral deficit in 2019 if we did not separate Yahaya Bello from the APC.
“We will not allow him to destroy this platform because it is still useful to many of us because we want to use it in 2019.
“He must be honourable enough to step aside because he who must go to equity must come with clean hands.
“INEC said it contravenes the provisions of the Electoral Act and that he has committed a crime and because of his immunity they cannot prosecute him now.
“INEC said the second registration has been cancelled and that the officer who went to conduct the registration will face disciplinary action.
“INEC also said Government House Lokoja is not a designated local government registration centre, meaning the governor must have taken INEC to Government House either through corruption, coercion or through diabolic means.’’
The Chairman of APC in Kogi, Alhaji Hadi Ametuo, agreed with Melaye, adding that it was the position of the party.
THEWILL recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, accused Bello of double registration for Permanent Voter Card in contravention of the Elwectoral Act.
The statement, issued by Prince Solomon Soyebi, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, revealed that Bello had his first registration on Jan. 30, 2011 in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja and the second registration on Tuesday, May 23, at the Government House, Lokoja.
