The Peoples Democratic Party House of Representatives candidate for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the 2023 elections, Austin Okai, has said President Bola Tinubu knows the enormity of “sin” committed by the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello.
Okai said Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, know that Bello’s sins are too enormous to defend.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, the PDP chieftain also dismissed claims that Bello was being witch-hunted by the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukayode.
Okai said EFCC’s ongoing investigation against Bello started during the era of past Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa.
EFCC is currently investigating Bello of alleged fraud to the tune of N80.2 billion while he was governor of Kogi State.
The former governor refused to honour invitations by the EFCC to clear his name and the attempt to arrest him from his Abuja residence was thwarted by his successor, Governor Usman Ododo.
Ododo had stormed Bello’s residence in Abuja and reported moved the former governor out while EFCC attempted to pick him up.
EFCC subsequently declared Bello wanted and placed him on a watchlist because his whereabouts were unknown.
However, Okai said: “Anybody saying EFCC Chairman is witch-hunting Yahaya Bello is a liar; this thing started when Bawa was heading the agency. APC knows that this sin is too much to defend, and Tinubu, who receives private security briefings across the 36 states, knows the enormous crime committed by Yahaya Bello in Kogi State.
“We were at EFCC, and they assured us that this case would not be suppressed; the whole world is watching them; if they allow Bello to go free, then EFCC should be scrapped. Everybody is now a lawyer on television defending the fundamental human rights of Bello, but where were they when he was owing civil servants salaries? Where were these lawyers when innocent people who criticised Bello disappeared into thin air? Where were these lawyers when our roads were abandoned and hospitals in Kogi State were no longer functioning?
“As we speak, no public primary or secondary school is functioning in Kogi State, he has destroyed the education and local government systems.
“If Ododo, who swore to uphold the constitution of Nigeria for not up to six months, came and shielded Bello, who was declared wanted, using our own car fueled by tax-payers money to protect a wanted fugitive, is an aberration. He’s maltreating Ebira people where he hailed from.”
Kogi N80bn fraud: Tinubu knows Yahaya Bello’s sins, EFCC not witch-hunting him – Austin Okai