Leaders under the auspices of Kogi East Movement have condemned the alleged reconciliation between former Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, and ex-governor of the state, Yahaya Bello.
Ajaka was recently seen with Bello in what looked to be a reconciliation meeting, a development he later confirmed, admitting that he apologized over the political disagreements that arose between them ahead of the 2023 governorship election in Kogi State.
In what seemed to be a continuation of the reconciliation moves, Ajaka was also seen with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo on Wednesday at the Government House in Lokoja.
Shortly after the meeting was made to the public by his media aides, leaders from the Igala/Bassa-speaking areas of Kogi East, under the aegis of the Kogi East Movement, convened a meeting in Abuja where they expressed disappointment in the former governorship candidate.
The group described Ajaka’s reconciliation with the APC leadership in the state as hasty and unfortunate.
According to the group, the decision taken by their son was not in the best interest of the Igala nation, especially as many people were still nursing the pain of deaths and destruction of property recorded during the last governorship election in the state.
Speaking to newsmen in a video shared on social media, the group leader, Alhaji Hassan Yakubu Enape, said Ajaka was wrong to have allegedly surrendered to former governor Yahaya Bello.
“Did he apologize for contesting the governorship election or for listening to the call of his people?
“The ugly scars left by the election on our land have not healed, yet the same son for whom we made sacrifices has gone back to apologize to him,” he said.
Enape further stated that the people of Kogi East were now more determined than ever to collectively elect credible leaders in the 2027 general elections without external interference.
“We will speak with one voice in the 2027 general elections by choosing credible candidates our people can support for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, and of course, the governorship,” he added.
It will be recalled that the former SDP governorship candidate, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, recently defected to the APC, where he is expected to contest for the Kogi East senatorial seat.
