The All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has debunked reports that Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has withdrawn his support for the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, ahead of the 2023 general election.
The campaign council said the report was an attempt to create “distrust, acrimony and chaos in the party by people who are desperately trying to disparage the unbending commitment” of Governor Bello to the success of the APC in the next month’s presidential election.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Director of Media and Publicity, Kogi State APC Campaign Council, Kingsley Fanwo, on Sunday.
Some media outlets (not The Star), on Sunday, reported that Bello, who is the National Youth Coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, has withdrawn his support for Tinubu over permutations in Kogi State ahead of November 2023 governorship election in the state.
The governor, while reacting to the claims via a post on his Facebook page on Sunday, said his unwavering support for Tinubu and his running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima, “is 100% undiluted”, describing the report as fake.
However, the APC campaign council, while also speaking on the development, said Governor Bello has been mobilising the people of Kogi State to deliver about 95 per cent of votes in the state to Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
The council stated: “The publication was done in bad faith to create distrust, acrimony, and chaos in the party by people who are desperately trying to disparage the unbending commitment of the Governor to the success of the All Progressives Congress in the Presidential election.
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“Governor Yahaya Bello’s unflinching commitment to the campaign is not in doubt among committed stakeholders of the APC at all levels. He is constantly on the drawing board, galvanizing Kogites and youths across Nigeria to massively support the man he calls the President-in-Waiting, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. This will definitely not go down well with open and veiled detractors of our presidential candidate, who would go to any length to paint a picture of crisis where there is absolutely none.
“Aside from winning and sustaining the support of the majority of Nigerian youths for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Yahaya Bello has effectively mobilized Kogites to deliver not less than 95% Kogi votes to the presidential candidate of our party, the All Progressives Congress.
“It is therefore not a surprise that those who want to share in the glory of the impending landslide victory without contributing to the efforts are hiding behind ‘the evils of journalistic anonymity’ to cause disaffection.
“The Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has always been the star boy of the party, having delivered on critical assignments in the state and at the national level and also recently, registering millions of youths, women, and people living with disabilities into the party. He is proud of the presidential candidate of the party and has no doubt whatsoever in his capacity to take Nigeria to the desired level.
“It is laughable, ludicrous, and unthinkable to insinuate that the man working so hard to deliver massive votes for the presidential candidate of the party is the one naysayers would accuse of non-commitment.”
It further stressed that Bello will continue to work assiduously for the success of Tinubu in the forthcoming general election “to the consternation and disappointment of those who are desperately working to create a storm in a teacup for selfish reasons.”
“The governor who is the leader of the party in the state, the leader of the State Campaign Council, and the National Youth Coordinator of the presidential campaign, will remain undaunted by the spurious lies and remain unwaveringly committed to the desire of Nigerians to have a Tinubu-Shettima pivot from May 29, 2023,” the APC campaign council added.
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