The people of Kogi state have been left without a leader as the newly sworn-in Governor Yahaya Bello left the state capital of Lokoja to attend a Governors’ Forum meeting in Abuja on Wednesday night.
Bello was sworn-in earlier on Wednesday without a deputy since Hon James Abiodun Faleke who the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chose as as his running mate did not make himself available to take oath of office. Faleke has instead gone to court to enforce his argument that he was the duly elected governor of the state since he and Late Prince Abubakar Audu were already coasting home to victory in the November 21, 2015 gubernatorial poll before his sudden death.
Few hours after his swearing-in, Bello walked into the State House Conference Centre, venue of the Governors’ Forum meeting being chaired by the governor of Zamfara state, Abdulaziz Yari, at around 9:20pm. The governor, being the Chief Security Officer of the state is according to the order of hierarchy supposed to hand over power to his deputy when he is leaving the state but Bello may have left the state on auto pilot since he has no deputy.
In the order of hierarchy, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Momoh Jimoh Lawal is the next in line but given the fact that he is a member of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), it is unclear if Governor Bello handed over to him before leaving the state. Jimoh was not acknowledged at the governor’s swearing-in earlier in the day, it is therefore unclear if he was present. Jimoh represents Ogori/Magongo constituency in House and leads a legislature that is dominated by the PDP.
The Governor’s Forum meeting is a monthly gathering which takes place 24 hours before the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting which is also monthly. Bello may therefore pass the night in Abuja and attend the NEC meeting often chaired by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo at the State House Council Chambers on Thursday. The Governors’ Forum meeting was still on as at 10:45pm when this story was filed.
