The 2023 presidential ambition of the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, is no longer a secret to the public. It should be recalled that the Governor, who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), recently declared his intentions to run for the number one office in the country....CONTINUE READING
Since then, the Governor has continued to make subtle moves to increase his chances of emerging as the APC presidential candidate in 2023. However, a recent report by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), could affect the governor’s 2023 presidential ambitions.
Recall that about a week ago, the EFCC revealed that one of the sitting governors in the country, has withdrawn about 60 billion Nigeria from his state’s coffers within the last six years. Although the anti-graft agency did not disclose the identity of the governor, but stated that the governor is from one of the states in North-Central geo-political zone.
Today, an investigation by Sahara Reporters has revealed that the governor in question, is Yahaya Bello of Kogi state. According to the report, a source within the EFCC, authoritatively confirmed that the governor accused of withdrawing a whooping sum of N60bn from his state, is Yahaya Bello. The report has already begun to attract reactions from the public.
The recent revelation by the EFCC may impact negatively on the 2023 presidential ambitions of the Kogi state governor. This is because, for a while now, many Nigerians have continued to clamour for leaders who do not have track records of corrupt practices.
While it is true that the Kogi state governor fits into the age category that many Nigerians are demanding for, his alleged withdrawal of 60 billion Naira from Kogi state’s coffers, may have sent a wrong message to the public. With this, many Nigerians who ordinarily, would have supported the governor to emerge as the country’s next president, may begin to withdraw their support.
Aside from this, there are also chances that the anti-graft agency, may institute a suit against the governor. This could see his accounts frozen. The implication of this is that with limited resources, the governor may be unable to match the financial power of his opponents in the race for the APC 2023 presidential ticket.