The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of allegedly sharing and squandering the N2b Kogi State Palliative Fund meant for the wellbeing of the people of the State.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologubagba, the Party also described the assertion by the APC that there is no vacancy in the Kogi State Government House as illusory and pathetic display of “fear of imminent defeat by the PDP given the overwhelming popularity and acceptability of our Candidate for the November 11, 2023 Governorship election in the State, Senator Dino Melaye”.
“Such arrogant statement by the APC is a serious affront to the sovereignty and capacity of the people of Kogi State to freely elect their governor and further exposes the condescension and contempt to which the APC and its very unpopular and rejected candidate, Usman Ododo have for the people.
“The APC is aware that Usman Ododo as a very weak candidate has no chance in the face of the overpowering popularity and public acceptance of a more competent, more experienced, more transparent and people-oriented Senator Melaye.
“Moreover, the people of Kogi State hold Usman Ododo directly responsible for the collapse of Local Government structure in the State arising from his reported bad stewardship as the Auditor General of Local Government Services, where he allegedly facilitated the criminal diversion of Kogi State Local Government Fund to Governor Yahaya Bello.
“This explains the pitiable state of Local Government Councils in Kogi State which have been unable to pay salaries of workers as well as Gratuities and Pensions of retirees; a situation that resulted in agonizing death of many of them. This justifies why Ododo is deservedly referred to as “Agent of Poverty and Pain” in Kogi State
“If APC leaders were in touch with realities in Kogi State; if they have any iota of concern for the people of Kogi State, they would have known that there exists a yawning vacancy in Kogi State Government House given the clear “absence of governance” in the almost eight years of Yahaya Bello’s abysmal administration that remained completely unanswerable, wrecked the economy of the State, visited the people with untold hardship and turned Kogi State into a killing field where citizens are burnt to death in their houses.
“It is instructive for the APC leaders to know that reports in the public in Kogi State and across the country is to the effect that APC leaders and its National Campaign Council for Kogi State came to the State to share from the N2bn Kogi State Palliative Fund, spent the weekend winning, dinning and reveling with utter disregard and insensitivity to the wellbeing of the people.
“It is therefore unpardonable that after allegedly sharing from the N2b Kogi Palliative Fund, the APC leaders turned around to spit in the face of the people and danced on the graves of victims of APC’s vicious administration in the State in the past eight years.
“Our Party demands that the APC should apologize to the people of Kogi State for the misfortune that Yahaya Bello’s governance brought to the State and for presenting an individual such as Usman Ododo as a governorship candidate,” the statement said.
