Why Kogi governor, Bello denied me return ticket – Senator Oseni

In an interview with Senator Yakubu Oseni representing Kogi Central Senatorial district, he disclosed that Kogi State governor, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello is his boss and he has denied him a return ticket because of zoning arrangement in his district.

Oseni is a first timer to the upper legislative Chamber; a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), who believed that he worked hard, but would gladly accept his fate, given that Bello insists on the zoning arrangement.

Excerpt:

You will not be returning in 2023 since you didn’t contest for primary election. What happened?

Ordinarily there is this slogan that hard work deserves more work, but you know politics is local and it is being played locally. There is zoning system in some areas and when it is your turn, it is your turn; when it is not your turn, it is not your turn no matter how hard you work.
That was exactly what happened.

Fortunately, my governor is a very just and fair person that doesn’t want to hurt one person or the other. Even him trying to play the game according to the rule in the area he was so bitter that he couldn’t throw his weight to support me, but he has to play the game the way it is so that he will not truncate what he actually met on ground.

My zone has taken its turn and he has to bitterly take it to the next zone that is supposed to take it because that is how it is being played in my zone. When next it is the turn of my zone they may consider me since I have done well. I’m still very young and very available for the job.

There was insinuation of disagreement between you and governor Yahaya Bello. Can speak on that?

That is what people will ordinarily think about in political environment. Fortunately, the reverse is the case. Governor Yahaya Bello is my boss. He brought me into politics. I’m a pure technocrat, a banker. He saw what I have been doing and brought me into politics.

I worked with him as Chairman, Kogi State Internal Revenue Service. The fact that I did very well there made him to support me to come to National Assembly as Senator to contribute my quota.

He remains my boss and there is no way I will have any fracas or disagreement with him. That will be the last thing that will happen in this world because I’m 100% loyal to him. He discovered me, brought me up politically and I will continue to be loyal to him.

As far as I’m concerned, what he has done is the right thing because he has to play the game by the rule. He is a fair and just leader that is why I said he bitterly took it away from me because he is not happy I’m not returning, but he has to do that to please the majority. There are no differences at all. Even yesterday we were together for more than 5 hours. Anything he is doing you will see me there; we were together.

It also rumoured that that you are planning to defect. Is this true and why?

Yes, it is possible, if Yahaya Bello is decamping I’m decamping. That is the only way; outside that, it will not happen. I remain under his canopy.

What is your future plan politically?

Plans belong to God. You do your own , God will do his own. As at today, I think I still have up to a year in the National Assembly. I’m still concentrating, doing my job meticulously and waiting for my boss for his next action. If my boss say go right I will go right, if he says go left, I will go left. That is my next plan.

Putting this side by side with those who said they must go on, it’s their legitimate right like Senator Smart Adeyemi. What is your take?

That is somebody like Senator Smart you are talking about. Yes, we met him in the political environment and he has his own ideology when it comes to politics. He joined Governor Yahaya Bello and I came with the governor. So, his own ideology is completely different from my own. We are not from the same zone; he is from Kogi West and I’m from Kogi Central where the governor comes from.

May be he saw what I couldn’t see as a veteran in the field. I won’t blame anybody for whatever action they take; that is his/her prerogative. His own is paying him and mine is paying me. It depends on what you want; that is life. I don’t want to say much about it. That is the way he wants to play his own and this is how I want to play my own and I’m happy with my own and he’s happy with his own.

Which area do think Yahaya Bello government needs to give attention considering the fact that no government is perfect?

We are human beings, not gods. As far as I’m concern, there is no government that is completely 100% good. Not even in the developed world. In Governor Yahaya Bello’s government, talk of security, you cannot achieve security 100%. He has tried very well, but I’m seeing some pockets of insecurity coming up again. I advise he should change tactics in fighting insecurity in the state because some pockets of insecurity is surfacing in some areas.

That is the area he performed best and I I want him to go all out without any thing that would touch that record. I will also advise that he should concentrate and complete and commissioning of all ongoing projects so that the next government will not abandon them as is the practice in Nigeria.