Victor Ezeja
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello has denied withdrawing support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, in the upcoming election.
Bello was reacting to a report in the Nigerian Tribune, which claimed that he has dumped the Tinubu/Shettima presidential bid over permutations in the State that Tinubu might work against him by choosing Hon. James Faleke during the November governorship election in the North Central state.
Hon. Faleke, who currently represents Ikeja Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, is also Secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.
He is a close confidant of Tinubu and was the running mate of the APC governorship candidate in the November 2015 governorship election, Abubakar Audu, who died shortly before the election was concluded.
Bello, who is the National Youth Coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, described the report as “fake news.”
In a post on his Facebook page on Sunday to debunk the publication, the Kogi State governor said he has unwavering support for Tinubu/Shettima 2023 presidential bid and urged the public to disregard every fake news being spread that he has withdrawn support for the duo.
“Kindly disregard every fake news being spread by mischievous media outlets.
“My unwavering support for Tinubu/Shettima 2023 is 100% undiluted,” Bello wrote on his Facebook page on Sunday, 22nd January 2023.
Reacting to that also the APC through a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the report as “maliciously false and a figment of the imagination of its author.”
Morka said the “fake news” is intended to instigate conflict between Governor Bello and Hon. Faleke.
The APC National Publicity Secretary said that Bello “is a solid, resourceful and committed campaigner for our Party’s Candidate, leading a massively successful outreach to youth voters across the country.”
“This FAKE NEWS, ostensibly intended to float an imagined rift between Governor Yahaya Bello and Honourable James Faleke, Secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, is the desperate and disgraceful conjecture of opposition elements unsettled by our Party’s giant campaign strides.
“Both loyal Party men are unquestionably committed and working tirelessly for the resounding victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in next month’s presidential election,” Morka added.
He urged party leaders, teeming members and all Nigerians to disregard the story.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
