In a concerning incident, former political appointees from the previous administration of Capt. Idris Wada in Kogi State engaged in a chaotic dispute over the distribution of benefits after facing seven years of persecution and non-payment of severance allowances.
The appointees, who were all members of the PDP, decided to pledge their loyalty to Governor Yahaya Bello’s APC-led administration, with the approval of Capt. Idris Wada.
Led by Sadiq Ainoko, the former Kogi commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the group, comprising over 300 individuals, declared their allegiance to the APC Governorship Candidate, Usman Ahmed Ododo, rather than the PDP’s Dino Melaye.
In response to this political development, Governor Bello granted a courtesy meeting to the former appointees and provided them with an unspecified amount of money as a goodwill gesture.
However, the appointees, who had formed themselves into various political blocs and pressure groups but lacked substantial influence, were unable to come to an agreement on how to divide the money. As a result, a fight erupted, and they tore the money into shreds at the Glass House of the Government House in Lokoja.
This situation arose due to the dire financial predicament the former appointees found themselves in, as they had not been paid their salaries and severance packages for three months during Capt. Wada’s administration. Governor Yahaya Bello has been capitalizing on this issue to gain support for Usman Ahmed Ododo in the upcoming November 11 governorship election.
It was later revealed that the unspecified amount, estimated to be around $20 million, was torn into pieces both by the appointees themselves and political thugs.
This unfortunate event highlights the desperation and self-centeredness of the former appointees, who seem to have prioritized their personal interests over the welfare of the average Kogi indigene throughout their years in office.
