The appointment of a new minister by President Muhammadu Buhari to replace the late James Ocholi from Kogi State is generating serious ripples within the state’s APC.
Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has been fingered as the brain behind the appointment of Professor Steven Ocheni, thereby sidelining James Abiodun Faleke who hitherto was believed to be the right choice having lost the governorship battle to Bello.
Already, Bello had thanked Buhari, saying he made a good choice in picking Professor Steven Ocheni as ministerial nominee to replace the late James Ocholi, who died a year ago.
“I thank the good people of Kogi State today we have a ministerial nominee. Professor Steven Ikani Ocheni is a renowned professor, he is versatile, a workaholic, he is never tired and I am very sure he is going to make Mr. President very proud. He is going to make Nigeria proud and the good people of Kogi State proud and we thank Mr President for this wonderful nomination”, Bello said as he dismissed his critics as those who are disappointed that he refused to share the state’s resources to them for which he has no apologies.
Meanwhile, Faleke and the family of his late boss, Abubakar Audu whose death put paid to the ambition of both to occupy the Kogi governor’s office, has said that those ganging up against him were working for a particular interest, saying their anger against him amounted to nothing. Sources said that his reaction was to Governor Bello who he believed forced a candidate on President Buhari in order to suppress his (Faleke’s) political influence in Kogi State.
Speaking for himself and Audu’s family, Faleke said: “Without my contribution, APC would not have won Kogi in the last election. The western senatorial district won the election for APC. My principal in the election, late Abubakar Audu, contested three times before then and lost; it was my contribution that changed the tide. In the history of the state, it was the first time that Kogi West would be won by opposition. We won six out of the seven local government areas of the state. We only lost by 300 votes in Mopa; the local government of the former acting governor, Clarence Olafemi, even against stiff opposition.”
Ahead of Ocheni’s nomination, we learnt that intense lobbying by prominent politicians went on because of the sensitive nature of Ocholi’s death which pitched some political camps against each other.
Our source added that, already, the Yahya Bello camp is doing everything to ensure that the Faleke/Audu people have no footing in the state’s politics even in the future.
-Arthur Richard
