RE: Discrepancies on 2023 Presidential, Governorship Votes unsettles Kogi tribunal »

SDP’s Smoke and Mirrors: From Presidential Polls to Kogi Governorship – Exposing Their Propaganda Tactics

In response to recent allegations of blackmail and propaganda leveled by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) against Alhaji Yahaya Bello and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, it is imperative to provide a comprehensive rebuttal to set the record straight.

Firstly, the SDP’s assertion regarding the alleged support of former Governor Bello for Mr. Ododo to enable his presidential aspirations in 2027 is baseless and lacks substantial evidence.
Such claims only serve to perpetuate unfounded rumors and distractions from the real issues at hand. It could be recalled that a few weeks to the Kogi November 11th, 2023 Governorship Elections, the former Candidate of the SDP on a live Television Programme Politics today described Bello support for His Party Candidate Ahmed Usman Ododo as a plan to raise financial support ahead of 2027 Presidential Project, on the same programme The SDP Candidate declared the Kogi Central people as his common Enemy, Not only embarrassing to the the people of Kogi State who have enjoyed relative Peace and Unity under former Governor Bello but his statement was a call for Anarchy and Disunity to the Peace building efforts of Bello. His statement was targeted at blackmailing the former Governor to cause political crisis between the former Governor and his leader Senator Bola Tinubu who he enjoys smooth and Very cordial relationships with since the formation of the APC.

Moreover, the comparison drawn between the presidential election results and the gubernatorial election in Kogi State is misleading and fails to consider the unique circumstances surrounding each election in the State.

The challenges faced during the presidential election, including the Naira redesign, voters’ apathy, and economic hardships, significantly impacted voter turnout and overall participation.

It’s worth noting that the Naira redesign policy adversely affected the popularity of the APC, resulting in significant losses for the party nationwide. The APC lost some of its Strong holds like Katsina, Lagos and Nations Capital FCT.

Even some very influential figures like the Director General of the Presidential Campaign Senator Simon Lalong, who at that time was serving Governor of the APC and the National Chairman of the APC Senator Abdullahi Adamu suffered losses in their respective states of Plateau and Nassarawa States respectively. It was a close call for Borno, the home state of VP Kashim Shettima, and other states where the APC narrowly escaped defeats. The likes of some powerful APC Governors lost their home states to opposition, His Excellency Abdullahi Ganduje Kano State, His Excellency Mal. Nasiru Elrufai Kaduna State, His Excellency Mai Mala Buni Yobe State ETC all lost their States to Opposition Parties.

But as difficult as the situation of the country was at that time, in Kogi State, the case was completely different as Alhaji Yahaya Bello led APC won convincingly for the APC in the Presidential and also sweeping all the three Senatorial seats for APC.

Furthermore, the notion of a “local derby” in politics, where local candidates typically garner more support than external contenders, must be taken into account when analyzing the gubernatorial election results in Kogi State. This phenomenon explains the disparity in voter turnout between local candidates like Ajaka, Ododo, and Dino compared to national figures like Tinubu, Atiku, and Obi.

Additionally, it is essential to highlight that the total votes cast in the gubernatorial election do not accurately reflect the potential voter turnout in Kogi State, considering its sizable registered voter population. Various factors, including voter intimidation and logistical challenges, may have contributed to the lower-than-expected voter turnout.

They overlooked the fact that Kogi boasts of over 1.9 million registered voters, of which 1.7 million PVCs were collected. Moreover, it was Former Governor Bello alongside His Excellency Mal Nasiru Elrufai and His Excellency Mohammed Bello Matawale who took the Federal government to court, ultimately securing a judgment allowing the use of both old and new currency notes. This decision significantly bolstered support for His Excellency the former Governor Bello and the APC in Kogi State ahead of the November 2023 off season Governorship Elections the Produced His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo as Governor.

The Damage and Crisis that occurred in the country during the Naira redesign Policy was capable of shutting down the entire country, but former Governor Yahaya Bello alongside other Nationalist in persons of Mal. Nasiru Elrufai and Mohammed Bello Matawale challenged the Federal Government decision, which later restored succour to the Livelihood of Nigerians following the Judicial Pronouncement of the acceptability of both old and New Naira notes as legal Tender by the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Nigerians suffered untold hardship as a result of the Naira redesign policy.

It has become obvious that Kogi SDP is staggering and looking for every possible wage to hold them standing. Now that watery issues have become their focus, it’s save to say that they are heading for slippery hills.

Dr Samuel Onuche Benjamin
Writes from Lokoja