Coalition of Civil Society Organizations and Kogi youths under the aegis of Kogi Youth Renaissance Movement (KYRM) have accused the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in the 2023 off-season election, Muritala Ajaka of sponsoring malicious blackmail against the immediate past governor of the state, Yahaya Bello, urging him to get healed from the trauma of his failure at the poll.
This comes as the groups also urge EFCC to end media trial and propaganda against ex-governor Yahaya Bello, stop being a tool for satanic alliance and wait patiently for June 13 when he is expected to appear in an Abuja federal high court.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Saturday, the Convener Coalition of Civil Society Group, Ayanwale Idris and the National Coordinator, Kogi Youth Renaissance Movement (KYRM), Dr. Ben Uguche wondered why EFCC despite a subsisting case against Yahaya Bello has continued to sponsor unwarranted media trials against Bello, accusing the anti-corruption agency of making itself a willing tool in the hands of desperate politicians to malign the image of law-abiding citizens of the country.
While insisting that the commission has demonstrated desperation and biases in prosecuting Yahaya Bello, the groups noted that its unholy alliance with Ajaka is both embarrassing and unprecedented absurdity of a creation of the law like EFCC.
They said, “Since the November 11, 2023 governorship election in Kogi in which the people of Confluence State spoke in clear and unambiguous language on the kind of leadership path they have chosen for themselves by massively and overwhelmingly electing His Excellency Usman Ododo as their governor, those who feel that Kogi is an extension of their ancestral inheritance to be shared have not stopped scheming evil against leaders of the state.
“While it must be put on record that the Social Democratic Party’s candidate in the election, Muritala Ajaka, and his cohorts have exhibited an unprecedented and un-statesman level of desperation to rule Kogi State at all costs, his unholy alliance with the EFCC to malign, blackmail and deride the immediate past Governor of the state, Yahaya Bello whose track record of selfless service in the state beams of Honour and pride is condemnable and uncalled for. One wonder why a Chairman of a Commission like EFCC will continue to speak to Press and make unguided statements over a case that is in court and still go so personal and emotional to denigrate an accused using unprintable names and EFCC as an institution making quotes on their social media space obviously to denigrate the former Governor as if the matter before the court has become a personal issue between the Commissioner’s Chairman and the accused.
“We are truly convinced of this satanic alliance with EFCC using Ajaka’s counsel, Barr Okutepa, as the prosecution counsel in the purported corruption case against the former Governor, Yahaya Bello. An act that is widely considered as desperation taken too far.”
They accuse Ajaka of being behind series of protests by his tribesmen in Lagos and other parts of the country in the name of civil society organization against Yahaya Bello, urging him to end un-statesmanly desperation.
The groups urged the duo of Ajaka and EFCC to allow the wheel of justice grind gradually instead of calling the proverbial dog a bad name just to hang it.
They also wondered why some politicians are calling for the deployment of military to forcefully abduct Yahaya Bello in a democratic environment, saying it will be an absurd on the judiciary.
“In a constitutional democracy, for desperate politicians to be calling for the deployment of military to forcefully effect the arrest of a former Governor over a matter that is already in court is not only an aberration but a slap on the judiciary and constitutional democracy which we as a nation have willingly signed up to.
“It will be the height of absurdity and abuse of human rights to abduct Bello under any disguise before his appearance in court next month. We are really worried at the haste, venom and way with which these desperate fellows are pursuing the matter.
“The needless victimization, melodrama, propaganda, malicious falsehood, media and criminal threat against lawful citizens of this country does not help our human rights record before the international community and must therefore be immediately brought to an end”, they noted.
They therefore called on the International community to call law enforcement agencies in the country to order and encourage them to carry out their duties within the confines of the law and stop the multi-layered Illegality that have embarrassed our country’s image before the global space.
The groups say if this act of persecution continues, it will be safe to demand international community to blacklist corruption fight under the current EFCC Chairman.
They therefore expressed optimism that irrespective of how slow, the wheel of justice must grind to an end and enrich the country’s legal jurisprudence.
