RE: THE PRECISE POLITICAL PICTURE OF AJAOKUTA LOCAL GOVERNMENT “THE TRUE POSITION” Our attention has been drawn to a publication in the Graphic Newspaper of 24th September, 2014 purportedly signed by Alhaji Adama Samari, Hon. Momoh-Jimoh O. Idrees and Hon. Musa Akaba who addressed themselves as concerned PDP elders forum. Ordinarily, we would have allowed the ill-fated publication to be confined to the dust bin of history. But we have chosen to react so as to correct some negative and selfish impressions created in the public domain which action was a calculated attempt to mislead the people particularly, His Excellency, Captain Idris Wada, Governor of our dear state. Secondly, we have decided to respond to it so as to correct some deliberate falsehood and fabrication of lies which are carefully skewed to cast aspersions on the person and office of the Chairman of the council, Hon. Aloysius Okino and by implication that of our revered leader, Hon Moses Ado Okino, who has worked very hard and tirelessly too, to bring Ajaokuta LGA back on the path of progress after long years of misrule and massive corruption which have retarded the fortunes of the area. In any political setting all over the world, the sinking boat of any group is always evident in their cry of foul where there is none. They embark on damaging remarks on their opponents whether in the same party or in another. Their scathing and uncouth remarks, and above all, their songs of marginalization skillfully composed to deride perceived opponents are always the common talk premised on distorted facts as evidently shown in the write up of the so called concerned PDP Elders Forum. This faceless group are political clowns and super jesters that tend to develop a bloated self-ego in the political arena of Ajaokuta LGA. General Salihu Ibrahim is a father to all and we do not believe that he will descend so low to be a follower to an unknown third group who cannot deliver the ward where their three acclaimed leaders, Hon Baba Ali, Hon Adama Samari and Mr Lawal Idris come from. The writers are very economical with the truth also when they tried to paint a picture of the marginalization of this unknown group. We would like to place on record that no single individual can create local government. Though we appreciate the role played by General Salihu Ibrahim in the creation of Ajaokuta LGA, he succeeded in this with the active participation of Hon Okino. Even people like late Mall. Jamiu J. Abubakar, late M.J Bello Achuja and others also played their roles. The 2000 indigenes of Ajaokuta they claimed to have employed in the Ceramic Company is also another deliberate falsehood. Are they counting the Indians and other Nigerians as indigenes of Ajaokuta? Dont forget that business is different from politics. We can safely say that less than 10% of the workers in the Ceramic Company owned by Indians are from Ajaokuta LGA. They also work under a very harsh, exploitative and dehumanizing conditions without them complaining because they have no choice. Are they saying that the Managing Director of Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited (ASCL) should also be given an automatic ticket to House of Representatives since they also employ well over 2000 personnel’s or Ajaokuta Local Government will claim to control voters because they equally have over 2000 workers? These are unreasonable, demented and unrealistic pursuits of a group groping in political darkness. It may also interest Your Excellency to note sir, that at the resumption of democratic rule in 1999, one of the signatories to the publication, Hon Ahmed Adama Samari from Ajaokuta ward who is Mr Lawal Idris cousin, was the first to be elected to the Federal House of Representatives under the leadership and active support of Hon Moses Okino. This is a demonstration of love on the part of Moses Ado Okino and his teaming supporters. Samari until very recently was a member of Kogi SIEC, he served in that capacity for two consecutive terms. Samari would have been fair enough to tutor Lawal Idris and their so called group on the way to go. Elective positions are not “allocated” rather they are contested for on a party platform as our constitution does not confer automatic ticket on businessmen. The truth is that, Mr Lawal Idris is not in PDP but he hobnobs with our members and our activities. He was the rallying point for APC and when he saw that Ajaokuta is a no-go area for his party, he has started this new move. We are glad that they claimed and admitted in their publication that their group (Muhammed Sadiq group) sacked supporters of Okino(over 400) and recklessly employed over 1,500 people majority of which are ghost workers, which today is responsible for the inability of the council to pay correct salary to genuine staff of the Local government. This admission shows the brutality and recklessness of that era and they were part of it. As we earlier posited, Hon. Samari couldnt have become a Commissioner in SIEC if he didnt serve Hon. Sadiq. Hon Baba Ali was Supervisor Budget and planning in the Local Government when all these atrocities were committed. They now said, it is Hon. Sadiq that did it and went on shamelessly to make themselves judges even in the way things should be shared. It is on record that the Aloysius Okino led administration, contrary to their drumming, as the Chairman, never sacked anyone. His Excellency is aware of the staff audit carried out by the Ministry of Local Government to rid the councils of ghost workers. It will also be very dubious and a great disservice to our people to continue to harbour ghosts in our system when legitimate workers of the council cannot take their salaries as at when due. We would like to place it on record that these people didnt believe in Wada project at a time when Hon. Okino and his group stuck their neck for Wada to the extent of serving faithfully as his agent during the primary. Their old group bluntly refused to endorse Captain Wadas PDP nomination form despite being the ones in charge then. It was the same Okino whom they are castigating today that signed the form. What is more, they equally would not endorse Capt. Wadas INEC nomination form, the form was signed by Hon. Aloysius Okino. Let Hon Samari, Baba Ali and Lawal Idris who boasted of so much acclaimed political capacity tell the world, why His Excellency, Capt. Wada lost his election in their Ward (Ajaokuta Village) and Geregu ward, the immediate catchment area of their imaginary influence, to the then ACN while we won overwhelmingly in the other 12 Wards, in the last governorship elections. Your Excellency, as at today, we can say that more than 90% of PDP leadership in Ajaokuta LGA are working for the success of PDP under the leadership of Hon Moses Okino. This is borne out of the all-inclusive style of Hon Okino which made it possible for some of those who had hitherto worked with Hon. Sadiq to benefit from your appointments and appointments from Hon Aloysius Okino. We want to also state emphatically that majority of those who claimed to be in this unknown group have no political base. They are detached from the people and they are actually dealing with imaginary people. Hon. Musa Akaba who is one of the signatories to the ill-conceived publication is a Senior Special Assistant to the Chairman of Ajaokuta Local Government and at the same time a member of the Board of the College of Nursing, Obangede in addition to other benefits from the council. The problem is that those who are used to feeding on elephants will never make do with chickens, when circumstances dictate. In terms of development, no chairman has ever provided critical infrastructures to the people more than the current leadership of the council. Politics in Ajaokuta LGA has simply reached a point where democratic dividends are physically shown and seen. The Chairman of Ajaokuta LGA, Hon. Aloysius Okino, has brought unprecedented transformation to the Local Government via his people driven physical and social infrastructures. Can this group boldly point at any such projects when they were at the helm of affairs in the Local Government or at the House of Representatives? The records are there for everyone to see. HE, Capt Wada is a man that believes in the rule of law and due process. He also believes in the constitution of our party and electoral guidelines which are unambiguous. Why then are they putting unnecessary pressure on him to go against due process and endorse an aspirant who is not in our party and who is not popular in his ward talk less, of the Local Government? Their proposal is not known to any law or moral framework and should just be disregarded as the ranting of a self-seeking and a drowning gambler. It is also on record that there has not been any electoral victory in Ajaokuta LGA without the active involvement of Chief Moses Ado Okino. This is a verifiable fact, sir. It is therefore, laughable to derogate a group that has been responsible for over 90 percent of electoral victories in the area by a breakaway minority group, looking for relevance on pages of newspapers. Your excellency, sir, it is a clear show of political insensibility, insensitivity and gold digging to say they have zoned elective positions leaving out a district with Eight (8) out of Fourteen (14) wards in Ajaokuta LG. These are people who always choose to sit on the fence (SIT-DOWN-CHOP) waiting to cash in on the electoral victories of others. When Hon Baba Ali played this trick and got FOUR Special Assistants from your government, he gave three to members of his family. That is his idea of how to lead Ajaokuta District. We have reliable and genuine leaders from Ajaokuta District who are working for our party and government, some of who are signatories to this rejoinder. No, enough is enough! This newspaper group wants to use this option to get what they did not deserve since their initial effort with the opposition party was dead on arrival because of the overwhelming dominance of PDP in the Local Government as a result of the achievements of Hon. Aloysius Okino and the commitment of our party members. We equally want to say that PDP in Ajaokuta LGA is not in any way under threat, we are solidly on ground and will deliver any day, any time, by the grace of God. We are also not unaware of their romance with the opposition APC. We are not losing any sleep because they are infinitesimally insignificant. We are solidly behind Your Excellency now and in your future aspiration. Thanks as we remain loyal to you and your administration. Signed: Hon. Samson Bako, Member,House of Assembly Alh. Salawu I. Bello Member, TSC, Kogi State. Hon. Audu Usman Akaba Vice Chairman of Ajaokuta Local Government. Hon. Atahiru T. Baba Member, House of Assembly (2003 -2007) Hon. Adinoyi Onekata, Former Chairman of Ajaokuta Local Government. Engr. Sadiq Ogunah Former Commissioner Commerce&Industry. Momoh Steven Aziz, Permanent Member of Local government service commission. Mr. Lamina Achereku PDP Chairman, Ajaokuta LGA Hon. Umaru O. Sadiq, Special Adviser to Governor of Kogi state. Hon. Suleiman Siraj PDP State Auditor.
Posted on: Thu, 02 Oct 2014 21:06:32 +0000
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