Senator Echocho under fire for endorsing Onoja as Bello’s successor at APC stakehokders’ meeting

The Senator representing Kigi East Senatorial district, Jibrin Isah Echocho has thrown a kite with its resultant fire and war of words for endorsing Chief Edward Onoja as successor to Governor Yahaya Bello.

Social media and national dailies over the weekend were awash with endorsement story attributed to Senator Echocho during a stakeholders’ meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Echocho spoke at the Government House, Lokoja on Thursday durng the state’s APC chapter’s stakeholders meeting on modalities for the nationwide membership registration exercise of the ruling party.

CAPITAL POST learnt that APC members including the governor who are in attendance were embarrassed by his endorsement which was considered too early.

As torrents of reaction trails the endorsement statement, Kogi West APC stakeholders berated the lawmaker and expressed disappointment particularly that the zone considered as their own time to succeed Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

Expressing anger, Kogi West APC vowed to resist any attempt to frustrate the turn of the zone from producing the successor to Bello in the 2023 election.

Chief Ayo Ipinlaye, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Yagba Wedt Senatorial district didn’t pretend while speaking with journalists, wondered if Kogi governorship seat has become exclusive right of the Igala people.

He reminded Jibrin Isah Echocho that Igala people ruled Kogi State from 1999 to 2016 which he said would be insensitive and ill-timed for them to talk about having a shot when Okun speaking Western part of the State has not produced a democratically elected governor.

According to him, the endorsement could cause disaffection amongt party members across the three senatorial districts and capable of distracting the governor from concentrating on governance in his remaining 3 years tenure.

“The timing is wrong as the governor is just one year in office in his second time. He Isah should allow the governor to concentrate on governance having just spent one year in his second term.

From the angle of rotation, when the time comes to talk about his successor, the statement suggesting that Igala should produce the next governor is insensitive to the aspiration of the people of Kogi West as joint equity holders of Kogi State.

“It is a fact that Kogi West is the only section of the state that is yet to produce a democratically elected governor since the creation the state 30 years ago.

“The Igala have ruled the state for 16 years. The Ebira in the central are on their second term of eight years still running. Equity and justice demands that Kogi West should produce the next governor in the spirit of natural justice”.