At a meeting of stakeholders of Ibaji Local Government at the weekend, our attention was drown to what one may brand a dance of shame by our own brother (regrettably), the former Deputy Governor of Kogi State, Elder Simon Achuba; and a few disgruntled elements who paraded themselves under the aiges of Kogi Conscience Liberation Movement and Kogi Concerned Citizens Forum.
The groups, we understand, converged at the premises of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in Abuja, and demanded the commission’s arrest of the former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, CON, on the grounds of financial misappropriation.
We would not have given it any thought were it not for the fact that Elder Simon Achuba was a front liner among the protesters and even a lead spokesperson for them. What a dance of shame!
We of Ibaji extraction hereby condemn in its entirety the involvement of Hon Achuba in the unwarranted display of ignomity by the groups. We state categorically that Achuba did not represent the interest of Ibaji in the so-called protest. If anything, it was his personal interest.
A typical Ibaji man does not forget the point where he was covered from the cold of rain. We therefore wonder why Simon Achuba is strikingly different. In 2016 when Alhaji Yahaya Bello became Governor, he unasked, made Achuba Deputy. Elder Achuba would not have smelled the position if Bello had not extended his magnanimity to him.
But Elder Achuba became radical against his own benefactor and began to fight him from all fronts. The saying that one should not bite the finger that fed him has no place in the former deputy governor’s conscience. He was all over the media criticising his own boss until the Kogi State House of Assembly impeached him in October 2019.
We recall that when he was the Deputy Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, he had suffered the same fate because of the same attitude of fighting his own leaders.
Now, instead of retiring from the political space as one who misused golden opportunities, he is busy seeking relevance in the streets of Abuja in the name of protesting.
For the records, Alhaji Yahaya Bello served meritoriously as governor and has been resting as an accomplished political figure in Kogi and Nigeria history. But Elder Achuba is on top of the roof with some relevance-seeking elements asking the EFCC to arrest the accomplished former governor.
We use this medium to urge our brother to settle down and think properly. Let’s assume without conceding that the EFCC should arrest our boss as has been demanded. Why should Achuba be the first to cast a stone against Bello considering that he was a beneficiary of the same government.
If the EFCC should go after anybody in the government of Yahaya Bello, Elder Achuba should be the first, so that he can answer questions regarding the funds released for the construction of Idah-Iyaño road; and the one for the completion of Ibaji Local Government Secretariat.
As we distance ourselves from the said protest, we want to express our unequivocal and unbiased respect for His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Bello. Elder Simon Achuba cannot have our support on this open dance of shame against a man who has done so much for him.
Signed:
Ibaji Politcal Stakeholders.