The Kogi State Government Tuesday knocked a former Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman, over his outbursts against Governor Yahaya Bello and Governor Mai Mala Buni-APC Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee.
Lukman had accused the party leadership of extorting aspirants ahead of the March 26 convention of the APC and had also asked that Bello be prevented from getting the presidential ticket of the party.
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He had also alleged that the Kogi governor had yet to implement the N30,000 minimum wage as announced and that workers in the state were earning 25 per cent of their salaries.
But the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement yesterday, described Lukman’s allegations as baseless.
He also quoted the chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress in Kogi State, Onu Edoka, as confirming that the state government had embarked on the payment of N30,000 minimum wage to workers in the state.
The NLC scribe was also quoted as saying that Bello’s administration was neither owing salaries nor paying 25 per cent of salaries.
Fanwo stated: “It’s unfortunate that Lukman could allow the frustration of his unceremonious and embarrassing exit as the Director-General of PGF take possession of his reasoning to the extent of accusing His Excellency, Mai Mala Buni’s APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of extorting aspirants ahead of the March 26 National Convention.
“It’s more saddening that Lukman decided to expose his main fear when he unwittingly revealed that the candidate to beat in the 2023 APC primary was my principal, His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.”