Kogi Speaker under fire for agitating for Ebiraman to succeed Yahaya Bello

There was a mild-drama on Tuesday in Government House, Lokoja, when political appointees and stakeholders of the ruling party booed and shouted down the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Matthew Kolawole, for calling on Governor Yahaya Bello to bring someone from his senatorial district to succeed him.

The governor, continuing his consultation with All Progressives Congress stakeholders and leaders in the state, had invited all the political office holders and appointees to address them on the need to deliver all the candidates of the party including the president in the forthcoming election.

When the Speaker was called to respond on behalf of the appointees, he stood up and eulogised the governor and his achievements, saying Kogi has never had so good and then bowed before the governor to beg him to bring his successor from his among his kinsmen

“Your Excellency, you have done what no governor has done before in terms of achievements and touching the lives of the people. If I begin to outline your achievements we may not leave here today and think the chairman that spoke before me has done justice to that,” he stated.

“In Kogi West senatorial district especially you have done marvelously; you built the first flyover bridge at Ganaja junction, Lokoja, in Kabba town, which is the headquarters of the district, when Adamu Attah, an Ebira, was governor, he built the Kabba-Okene road. Your Excellency too, an Ebiraman also constructed the Kabba township road, we have never had it so good.

“I will, therefore, [bowing down] plead with your Excellency to bring someone among your kinsmen in your senatorial district to be your successor in 2023 so that he may continue the good works you have done.”

This elicited serious emotion which caused a serious stir as the audience began to boo him calling him all sorts of names and ordered him to sit down if he had no better things to say.

The whole hall became so rowdy that police men and other security agents had to be called in to appeal to the people to calm down.