I remain committed to Tinubu’s campaign – Yahaya Bello

Governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello, Sunday said his unflinching commitment to the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign is not in doubt.

A report in one of the daily newspapers (not Daily Trust) on Sunday claimed that the Kogi governor who is the National Youth Coordinator of the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Council had withdrawn his support from the campaign.

But in an interview on Channels Television’s Daily Politics, Bello said the publication was done in bad faith to create distrust, acrimony, and chaos in the party by people who were desperately trying to disparage his support for Tinubu.

He called upon the medium to retract the story within 24 hours and urged all regulatory bodies to weigh in and sanction the publisher.

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The governor said, “I woke up to see that particular fake news in the air today. It’s quite unfortunate. I am urging all the law enforcement agencies and all regulatory bodies regarding journalism, and media practitioners practicing in Nigeria, to please live up to their responsibilities. 

“The current electoral law empowers even INEC to investigate things like this and prosecute the liars; those who perpetrate fake news as far as this election is concerned. 

“Let me further reassure millions of Nigerian youths and Nigerians, followers and supporters in the country and across the world, that I remain very supportive of our leader and the president in the waiting, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the flag bearer of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, and my own brother, His Excellency, Sen Kashim Shettima.

“I am expecting that the management of the media house will retract that particular publication and tender public apology and give it a lot of publication within 24 hours, else I think my lawyers are capable of doing the needful.”

Bello debunked the rumours that he was not mobilising youth and other groups of the party towards victory, maintaining that until he was openly challenged for not doing well for the victory of the party in the forthcoming elections that he would still take such accusations as mere a pinch of salt.  

The governor added, “There has never been any assignment statewide and nationally that I have not carried out diligently and delivered on the task that is given to me. You recall the mobilization of the membership of the women and people living with special needs where we were able to mobilise over 41 million for our great party.  

“I have contested for this particular ticket and God almighty gave it to our leader and president in the waiting – Bola Ahmad Tinubu. Ever since that happened, I am the first person as a contestant that came out openly to give my blessings to endorse him and to start working for him even before he reached out to me.   

“In fact, I don’t even need our leader Asiwaju to reach out to me because I believe in him, I study him, I envisioned exactly what he is going to do for this country. And I pray fervently for the success of the party and I will continue to do all my best to ensure that he succeeds and wins this general election.”