Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State is a bad representation of the throngs of young Nigerians, according to Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, the convener of the National Peace Committee and Catholic bishop of the Sokoto Diocese.
Speaking in advance of the November 11 governorship election, Bishop Kukah expressed the opinion that “sadly, I think he’s been a very poor advertisement for what young people can do,” in light of the disturbing violence that is currently occurring in the North Central state.
He continued, saying, “I feel very sad because Yahaya Bello, the governor, prided himself on being the youngest governor and being a representation of what the youths of this country can do if they are given the opportunity, and Kogi has been on the forefront.”
Speaking on Wednesday, Bishop Kukah noted in an interview with Channels TV Sunrise Daily Programme that Governor Bello, 48, took over as Kogi State’s chief executive in 2015 following the passing of Abubakar Audu, who had been the All Progressives Congress’s (APC) initial candidate for governor and had been elected to a second term in November 2019.
In response to the ongoing conflict between the country’s labour movement leadership and the Imo state administration, Bishop Kukah filed a lawsuit seeking peace, arguing that all parties and interested parties should lay down their weapons and permit the state to hold peaceful elections.
In an appeal to organised labour, he said that Nigerians consistently emphasise that the candidates running for office are their sons and daughters and that, in all we do, we Nigerians must always consider the good of the country.
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He counselled civil society organisations, unions, and morally grounded churches to always act in the best interests of all parties. He made the point that trade unions cannot exist in the absence of a nation because all one has to do is glance out the window and observe what is going on in the Middle East right now, particularly in Israel and Gaza.
He believed that ordinary people suffer when elections go wrong, and he hoped that Imo’s labour leaders will be more cautious and consider who stands to benefit and who stands to lose. thinking that the people of Imo are ultimately the ones choosing their leaders, not those from outside their state.
Bishop Kukah pointed out that Imo is a firmly Christian community and expressed the hope that morally powerful individuals and religious leaders would persuade the union to postpone resolving their grievances, as they can only be settled in a peaceful setting.
He urged the police and other pertinent authorities to maintain security during the three states’ gubernatorial elections, stating that the welfare and well-being of the populace could not be compromised for the sake of individual or collective objectives.
