From Cross Udo
Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has said that the only thing that will make the All Progressives Congress, APC, win back the presidency in 2023 is only if it plays by the rules of the game.

Governor Bello said any attempt to exclude some persons from participating in the electoral process or skew the process to favour some persons or groups against others would spell doom to the party.

Speaking after meeting behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja, the governor, who was a presidential aspirant of the APC, alleged that governors of the party from the north and some elite conspired against him to muscle him out of the contest.

Asked if he was sure that the ruling party will win the presidency in 2023, governor Bello said, “I’m very optimistic that APC will return to power, if we play by the rules of the game.”

Further asked to explain what he meant by playing by the rules of the game, he said, “Follow all the laws, non-exclusion of anybody who wants to participate and carrying everybody along and ensuring that there’s fairness, equity and justice.”

He reiterated his opposition to the rotational presidency, saying that it doesn’t give room for the emergence of a competent person to pilot the affairs of the country.

On what was the agenda of his meeting with the President, the governor said, “Of course, you know that today (yesterday) is the special national convention of our party, where a presidential candidate from the All Progressives Congress will emerge. Leading up to today, there have been various controversies and issues before today.

“Yesterday (Monday), a certain video went viral, that I got angry, and I left a particular meeting and then, of course, this is a period when a lot of lies, a lot of misconceptions, will fill the air.

“Then, we have our father, the leader of our party, who should always know the reality or the truth, and then I came to brief him exactly what happened.

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“Well, some of my colleagues, led by the self-proclaimed leader of them, ganged up to suppress the voice of the people, the voice of over 26 million Nigerians, the voice of the women, the voice of people living with special needs, the voice of the choice of the party.

“So that’s exactly what I revolted against. I decided to leave the meeting where such concoction were ongoing. So that’s exactly what took place.”

Asked to mention the name of governor that he was talking about, he said, “I wouldn’t mention a name because I am honourable enough. The office I occupy today is an office that should be dignified.

“Myself, I have respect for leaders, for elders, even if some elders do not respect themselves, I have high respect for those in positions of authority. So, I wouldn’t mention names.”

Fielding question why he was not on the same page with APC governors from the north after several attempts made by the governors as revealed by the Kaduna state governor Mallam Nasir el-Rufai to make him consider his colleagues’ position of conceding the presidency to south, he said he was not consulted by anyone.

According to him, “I am a unifier, I have demonstrated that severally in my state, I have demonstrated that severally in the various tasks that were given me by the party.

“So, nobody consulted me. Nobody consulted me over the decision that they took, and I will rather say that they were railroaded by certain interest who want to be VP at all costs.

“The issue of turn-by-turn presidency, I continue to oppose it because the insecurity that is facing us today does not respect turn-by-turn presidency, every part of this country is faced with insecurity.

“Every part of this country is wanting prosperity and the seeming or the disunity that we experience today in Nigeria, we want unity in this country and that is exactly what I stand for.

“Who is that person that is coming to solve the problem, that should be what should preoccupy our minds and not the turn-by-turn presidency. It’s not in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Further asked whether he was not worried that he was on a lone path, he responded, “At least what is important is let me clear the air, let Mr. President not to have a misconception.

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That is number one. Number two, I have always been a loner, when you talk of human beings, but in the sight of God Almighty, I am not a loner. I will cast your mind back to when the issue of Coronavirus broke out. I made my stand and position known, I have been vindicated today and those who championed that business that time today probably may hide their heads in shame.”

When asked whether he had a chance in the race after the governors and members of the National Working Committee, NWC, had shortlisted the list of the aspirants to five, he said he was not bothered at all.

“I am a free citizen, a free member of the party, a qualified member of the party, I contested and contesting, I bought the form, I was cleared to participate in the election and no reason for me to be excluded from the ballot. If they do so, then that is a recipe for a bigger trouble for the party.

“However, I don’t think it’s a decision of the party. It is a decision of few elites, who may decide to use their whatever position to suppress the so-called minority.

“But I want to prove that in this country, I am not in the minority. We have the majority. I belong to the younger generation; I belong to the generation of Nigerians that are oppressed, and they are saying they must have their voice.”