Yahaya Bello, governor of Kogi, says those behind the parallel state congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, are only trying to damage the party.
A faction loyal to James Faleke, running mate to the late Abubakar Audu in the 2015 governorship election, had announced Hadi Ametou as the party’s factional chairman.
But speaking through Kingsley Fanwo, his spokesman, Bello said Faleke’s supporters converged on a primary school in Abuja but claimed to have held a congress in Kogi.
He alleged that those who organised it committed a “political treason”.
Fanwo told TheCable that a stakeholder’s committee was held on Friday but Faleke’s faction was absent.
He added that Abdullahi Bello emerged chairman of the party at the “recognised” congress which held at Confluence Stadium in Lokoja, the state capital.
“The national secretariat of our party sent a congress committee to come and conduct a congress in Kogi state. The committee called for a stakeholders meeting yesterday which was attended by all the stakeholders in the party except those who decided to stay away,” Fanwo said.
“The governor was there, the deputy governor was there, national assembly members were there, all state house of assembly members were there and all the stakeholders of the party but some people because of what they have been doing against the party, they cannot come to their state again. They’ve alienated themselves from the people.
“The committee from the national secretariat oversaw events. INEC sent a national commissioner to Kogi state. The congress went smoothly. We elected our leaders. Abdullahi Bello has emerged as the chairman of the party.
“There is no parallel congress as far as Kogi state is concerned. The news of parallel congress has been investigated and we discovered that those behind it actually went to a primary school in Gwagwalada. They were the only ones there, those who call themselves the Audu/Faleke group who have been trying to damage the party for long.
“They went to Gwagwalada to hold a congress and then issued a press release that it was held at a place called Felele in Kogi state. Nothing like that happened here today, it is a fraud. And those who perpetrated the fraud have been reported to the national secretariat of the party and they will be duly sanctioned for their political treason.”
