The candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 11 November 2023 governorship election in Kogi State, Hon. Leke Abejide, has said many people will die of hunger if the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is allowed to retain power.
Abejide, who spoke on a political programme on Channels Television, claimed that a Grade Level 16 officer in the state received about N15,000 monthly as a result of the anti-masses policies of the Yahaya Bello-led government; a claim the state government has debunked.
The ADC governorship candidate also said that Kogi people were hungry, adding that nothing was working in the state.
“If you are familiar with what is happening in the state, our people are almost dead and any attempt for them (APC) to go further for another four years, we will bury a lot of people because hunger will kill a lot of people.
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“A Grade Level 16 officer does not receive more than N15,000 (monthly) and you can investigate as a journalist if you think I’m telling a lie.
“How will that person go to the office even with the current increase in fuel price and the increase in transport fare? That is why if you go to all the 21 local government areas, no one goes to the office. Everybody stays at home. Whatever percentage they get whether 15 percent or 20 percent, they use it to take care of themselves.
“And once you kill the local government system, definitely insecurity will increase in that area and that is what we are seeing in Kogi State.
“As a politician, when you come home (to the state), you will share all the money you brought and if time is not taken, you won’t get fuel money back home. Everybody is hungry,” Abejide said.
He decried the lack of development in the state capital, Lokoja, claiming that “if Lord Lugard is woken up from his grave today, he will still locate his house.”
In his response, Kinsley Fanwo, the state Commissioner for information and Communication, denied all the claims made by the ADC governorship candidate.
“Hon. Leke Abejide lies with arrogance and each time he speaks, he reminds the people of Kogi State why they should not entrust him with power. His reasoning and data integrity are questionable and instead of the media fact-checking his claims, they celebrate his lies.
“In the North Central, Kogi pays the highest salaries. In the North, we are one of the top three. The difference between what a level 16 officer takes in Kogi and what his counterparts take in some other States is over N40,000. So why will a second term Reps member be saying a level 16 officer earns N15,000.00?
“It means he doesn’t care what happens to the state and his desperation has completely beclouded him. This is a dangerous way to look for power. Kogites are smart people. They are not considering him at all, even if he presents lies with arrogance from now till eternity,” Fanwo said.
