The Governor of Kogi state,
Yahaya Bello has dismissed allegation by the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC) that he registered twice as a voter in Abuja and subsequently
in Lokoja. He stated this when he spoke
to State House correspondents in Abuja on Friday after observing the
two-raka’at Juma’at prayer at the Aso Rock Mosque.
INEC on May 25 via a statement
issued by one of its National Commissioners and Chairman, Information and Voter
Education Committee (IVEC), Mr Solomon Soyebi, alleged that Bello registered
twice as a voter.
Soyebi said the governor first
registered in Abuja in January, 2011, and subsequently on May 23, 2017, in
Government House, Lokoja.
He described the governor’s
double registration and doing so outside lNEC’s designated centres as illegal.
Reacting to the allegation, Bello
said it might be his ghost that must have done the double registration and not
him.
“I travelled on (May) 19 to Dubai for a brief break and I saw the press release and I was taken aback that I did a double registration on (May) 23rd, probably it's my ghost that must have done the double registration.
“I think INEC has earned itself a very high reputation and I’m very confident that the leadership of INEC will not allow some elements to drag its name into the mud.
“Actually, that is a falsehood; I did not do double registration of permanent voter card,’’ he said.
The INEC statement read: “It has come to the attention of INEC that Gov. Bello of Kogi state registered as a voter for the second time on Tuesday May 23, 2017, in Government House, Lokoja, the state capital.
“His first registration was on January 30, 2011, in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.
“The governor’s double registration and doing so outside lNEC’s designated centres are both illegal.
“For the on-going Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, INEC has designated a centre in each of the country’s 774 local government areas including FCT’s six area councils.’’
NAN reports that INEC has since
dissociated itself from the governor’s action while it also pledged to take
disciplinary action against its staff implicated in the second registration for
Bello.
On outstanding salary arrears of
workers in Kogi, the governor pledged to abide by the decision of the
Governors’ Forum to use part of the outstanding Paris Club refund meant for the
state to settle the arrears.
Bello also frowned at those
calling for his impeachment over alleged non-performance, saying his
achievements in the last 15 months could be seen by well-meaning citizens of
the state.
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What did you go to Dubai to do? All of you are the same!
ReplyDeleteAll of them are not the same. There is no way the governor will perform in Kogi without these noise. The state that had been mortgaged by PDP without one single new road constructed talkless of education. Wada paid continuously 10-15% salaries for almost two years and left four months unpaid at all which this governor had cleared. This is Kogi where we talk of ghost institutions not just ghost workers. How do you think the governor who decided to go head to head with such hydra headed phenomenon backed by powerful cabals will go without mudslinging. Are you saying the Kogi East whose majority believe that it is a taboo for another tribe to lead them in Kogi should be singing praises on him. As far as Kogi is concerned today Yahya Bello is not owing any genuine workers salaries up till April.
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