POWER BELONGS TO GOD - Gov. Yahaya Bello

BEING AN ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF KOGI STATE BY HIS EXCELLENCY, GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO, ON HIS JUDICIAL VICTORIES AT THE KOGI STATE ELECTIONS PETITIONS TRIBUNAL.

A short while ago, the Kogi State Elections Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja delivered judgment in the last Election Petition brought against my election as Governor of Kogi State. A total of five Elections Petitions were filed against us by various actors some of whom contested as Candidates against us and failed, and some who did not. They canvassed many legal issues, a number of which were confronting the Nigerian Legal System for the first time.

Lawyers on all sides found their professional ingenuity heavily tasked as they sought to make sense of provisions the Electoral Act, 2010 and the various Electoral Guidelines and Regulations in the light of the Constitution and extant Judicial Precedence. Punditry lost meaning in the plethora of opinions canvassed in and out of court and in the News Media.  The situation in Kogi State, for a while, was the focus of most discussions wherever politically knowledgeable persons gathered to talk.

We are thankful indeed that the Tribunal, despite what must have been unbearable pressure from many strong quarters stood her ground on the side of Justice. In a manner which every lover of Truth, Democracy and the Rule of Law will applaud, the Kogi State Elections Petitions Tribunal, starting from Monday 6th June, 2016 and continuing through today the 10th, in very well considered judgments, dismissed each and every one of those Petitions in its entirety and consistently upheld my Election.

The grounds for the dismissal of each Petition were no different from our own honest beliefs from the very onset. These beliefs were later canvassed in our legal submissions before the Tribunal. These grounds include total and incurable lack of merit in the matters themselves, complete lack of locus standi by the petitioners, gross abuse of the process of court, and most importantly, the indisputable Truth of the matter. I am very glad the Tribunals made these points very clear so that they are enshrined for our guidance and for posterity.

I welcomed these legal challenges because they afforded the Judiciary an opportunity to enquire into and pronounce upon the validity or otherwise of the electoral processes that brought me into Office as the 4th Executive Governor of Kogi State. Most importantly, it enabled the Judges to quell every doubt as to my legitimacy to act in that capacity. That being the case, I owe a debt to all Kogites to remain fair, but firm, in the discharge of my duties in that Office.

I must confess that the Petition by Honourable James Abiodun Faleke was a bit harder to come to terms with because it came from within the ranks of our great Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). It is never an easy task when a Leader finds himself in conflict with elements of his own support group and I found it particularly hard to face off with fellow partymen in the Press and in Court.

Honorable James Abiodun Faleke's was a Petition that greatly polarized our Party at a time when we really needed to act as one in order to survive the heavy blow dealt the APC in Kogi State by the sudden and painful death of our leader, Prince Abubakar Audu. However it has also served the purpose of giving every loyal member of our Party who may have had concerns about the legality of the events that brought us into Office a definite answer from the Judiciary itself.

The Kogi State Elections Petitions Tribunal has proclaimed it loud and clear, five times this week for emphasis, that Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello was validly elected and returned as the winner of the 2015 Kogi State Gubernatorial Elections, that his swearing-in as the 4th Executive Governor of Kogi State was in accordance with the Law in all respects and that he is duly entitled to exercise the powers of that Office.

Without prejudice to the appellate processes and the rights of litigants to appropriate them in deserving situations, any man of peace and any loyal Party member should not require more than these judgments to consider himself bound by law to cooperate with my Administration in the best interests of Kogi State, and indeed Nigeria.

It is therefore with a sober spirit that I address the great people of Kogi State today. I am sober because, in a dispute between brothers of the same family, there cannot be a Winner and a Loser. In this matter, I declare that there is neither Victor, nor Vanquished. There is only the Consolidation of the New Direction Agenda which it has pleased God to unveil for Kogi State in this season, and under my Administration. I enjoin all citizens of Kogi State to support our journey in this New Direction.

It is my desire that Kogi State be United in purpose and action. In the days ahead, I will still continue my peace building and reconciliation efforts. I want to reiterate that there is room in the New Kogi for everyone to play a positive role in moving it to a greater height. I particularly reach out to the absentee members of the Kogi State House of Assembly at this time, and urge them to return to their lawful duties.

Now that the courts have spoken and nothing remains for any law-abiding citizen but to respect the judgments or appeal them if unsatisfied, I am calling on all our people, whether in the APC, PDP, LP, APGA, PPA, etc who have found themselves on one side or the other in the fallout from the last Gubernatorial Elections to put aside all bitterness and rancour and join hands with us to develop Kogi State.

While I urge all our people to remain peaceful and law-abiding, I must also sound a serious note of warning to any unruly element who may wish to use the failure of these Petitions or any other reason for that matter, as a ruse to foment trouble anywhere within Kogi State to have a rethink. The Security Agencies have been  placed on Red Alert, and you can rest assured that all troublemakers will be apprehended, and they will face the full wrath of the Law.

We are of course hoping that people will avoid futile litigiousness, especially appealing against these clear and unambiguous judgments out of pride or ostentation. Still, even if people see themselves compelled to appeal under pressure from whatever forces are driving them, we trust that such people, while trying their luck, can do so respecting the existing judgments. That is the patriotic duty and good citizenship.

My People, the New Direction Agenda in Kogi State remains fully on course. Following the disposal of these Petitions and with the road ahead now cleared of the distractions and obstacles they constituted hitherto, I will formally unveil the full NEW DIRECTION BLUEPRINT in the coming week. That Blueprint will provide an insight into how we intend to make government work for our people in all indices of development over the next four years, and beyond.

Kogi State has all the potentials to become the preferred tourism and business destination in the Hinterland of the Nation. The New Direction Blueprint, as promised during our Campaigns is a Marshall Plan, an actionable proposal for how we intend to activate those potentials. Beyond that it is a template for every enterprising individual willing to learn and act to identify a dream, pursue it and find fulfilment. It is our roadmap to lifting at least One Million Kogites out of the National Poverty Index over the tenure of this Administration.

Today, and as always, I celebrate the life and times of Prince Abubakar Audu, the 1st Executive Governor of Kogi State. It is our hope that those who want to lay claim to his legacy will at least develop the same heart for the growth and development of Kogi State that he demonstrated throughout his lifetime. On our part, we will continue to honour him and recognize his contributions. To this end, I hereby immortalize our fallen hero by renaming Kogi State University the PRINCE ABUBAKAR AUDU UNIVERSITY. I will send an Executive Bill to the Kogi State House of Assembly for the necessary statutory backing.

We thank the Almighty God Who has consistently proved Himself to be the Fountain and Origin of the New Direction Agenda. We  continue to pray that He will find us willing instruments to execute this Project for Kogi People and that He will see us to the successful end.

I congratulate all Kogites on our Victories at the Tribunal and thank each and every one of you for your abundant support and cooperation.

One Kogi! One Nigeria!

To God be the Glory.

Na God Win o!!!

YAHAYA BELLO
EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR
KOGI State