Jubilation in Okene as Bello emerges Kogi Governor-elect

 

The people of Okene, Kogi, on Sunday took to the streets celebrating the declaration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello as the Governor-elect of the state.

Bello, who hails from Agassa, Okene Local Government Area, was declared winner of the governorship election, following the outcome of the Dec. 5 supplementary poll in 91 polling units in the state.

Bello contested the election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Hundreds of people were seen on major streets dancing, jubilating and singing victory songs.

Masquerades were also among the jubilant in different attires.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the INEC's Returning Officer, Prof. Emmanuel Kucha, on Sunday declared Bello as the governor-elect of Kogi.

Bello scored 247, 752 votes, while Capt. Idris Wada of PDP got 204, 877 votes.

Some of the jubilant said they were excited that one of them had finally emerged as the governor of the state.

Mr Isa Mohammed, a barber, said he was happy that the power rotation they had longed agitated for had come to them.

"It is a divine arrangement and an act of God that it happened at this point in time.

"We are grateful to God for making this shift of power possible and for considering the Ebira,” Mohammed said.

Mr Ibrahim Jimoh, also said that the emergence of Bello had brought liberation to the ``marginalised’’ tribes in the state.

He, therefore, called on all other tribes to support the Governor-elect for the development of the state.

However, The Audu/Faleke Campaign Organisation has described the supplementary election that produced Bello as Governor-elect as ``unnecessary and a complete waste of tax payers’ money’’.

The group’s stand is contained in a statement signed and issued by its Director of Media, Mr Duro Meseko, in Lokoja on Sunday.

It said that the final results of the election declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had vindicated its earlier position that the Audu/Faleke ticket had won the Nov. 21 governorship election and should have been declared as such.

“ In the Supplementary election final results declared by INEC, the All Progressives Congress (APC) polled 6885 votes, while the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) scored 5363 votes.

``Making it a total of 12, 248 votes, a far cry from the 49, 353 registered voters that INEC claimed to have based its decision on to declare the election inconclusive.

“ It is now crystal clear to everybody that the Kogi governorship election of Nov. 21 was already won and lost before the strange supplementary election was introduced, “ the statement said.

The group urged both its supporters and members to remain calm and steadfast as steps had been initiated to enable the law takes its rightful course.