Alh. Ibrahim Idris (CON), former Governor Kogi State

Former Kogi State Governor, Ibrahim Idris has refuted claims by the Director General, Bello/Onoja campaign organization, Senator Smart Adeyemi that he was responsible for the rots in Kogi State.

Idris said on the contrary, the incumbent governor, Yahaya Bello should be held accountable for destroying the state, stressing that the former Kogi West Senator was just playing a plot to tarnish his image.

Senator Adeyemi had last weekend during a visit to NUJ Press Centre, Lokoja alluded that former governor Ibrahim Idris along with other past governors were responsible for the rots in the State. He accused the former Governor of pushing the state into debts which made it difficult for the incumbent to pay salaries.

Adeyemi also alluded that the emergence of Engineer Musa Wada as PDP candidate for the November 16 guber poll was a fiefdom plot by the Ibro /Wada’s family to “colonize” Kogi people

Angst by this, the former governor on Monday in a statement through his media office insisted the state did not borrow money under his watch and refuted the claim of maladministration, noting that Adeyemi was only grandstanding and peddling lies. He challenged Adeyemi to publish details of the debts in his ‘Pandora Box.’

The statement reads: “Former Governor Ibrahim Idris is not unaware of plots to drag his name in the mud. In fact, with the governorship election just few weeks away and haunted by an abysmal first term outing the Yahaya Bello led administration in the state seems to have invigorated it’s campaigns of calumny against the elder-statesman. Their latest outing was on Friday, October 4th at a Press Conference addressed by Mr. Smart Adeyemi, a former Senator currently saddled with the role of Director General of the All Progressives Congress, APC Governorship Campaign Committee in the Confluence State.

“Adeyemi did not hide his hatred for the former Governor who he viciously and provocatively attacked during the media parley. He is unhappy that Ibrahim’s first son Abubakar and son-in-law Musa Wada legitimately aspired to govern kogi State. He then alleged that Ibrahim could not carry out electrification project in his Omala L.G and other parts of Kogi East through out his days in office. He further accused Ibrahim of dragging the state into debts which made it difficult for Bello to pay salaries. He even implied that the Greater Lokoja Water Scheme was a white elephant project and threatened ‘to open the Pandora Box’ if anyone dare him.

“Adeyemi’s notoriety in character assassination and falsehood is common knowledge. His hallucinations against Ibrahim is a product of desperation and must be treated as such. We therefore wish to set the records straight as follows:

“The desire to govern Kogi by Abubakar and indeed 12 other aspirants in the PDP was born out of a genuine desire to rescue the state from the nightmare to which her present handlers had subjected her. The aspiration is not only legitimate and patriotic, but also heroic. It cannot be demonized.

“To accuse former Governor Ibrahim of not developing Kogi East is ungodly. Electrification projects were not only executed in Omala and other local governments in Kogi East, but also in other parts of the state. Ibrahim left office as governor about 8 years ago. If infrastructure he put in place since assuming office nearly two decades ago are yearning for maintenance, he ought not be vilified for that.

“We make bold to say that the Greater Lokoja Water Scheme was a legacy project that remains the envy of other states in the country. The project cost did not attract any variation and it was fully paid for. ‘Ibro water’ as it was named was running 24 hours in most homes in Lokoja before Ibrahim left office and long after then. If it is no longer flowing now, Adeyemi should ask Yahaya Bello his new boss and pay master.

“Adeyemi should stop grandstanding and hood-wooking people with barefaced lies. Through out his close to nine years in office, Ibrahim did not obtain any loan – be it domestic, foreign or by whatever name so called. In any case, every administration has a name and date of stewardship, just as every loan should have a tag. Details should include loan for what, from who, by who, when, the approving authority and repayment schedule. We challenge Adeyemi to open his Pandora Box, immediately or keep quiet forevermore. He should come down his high horse and eat the humble pie by tendering unreserved apology to the elderstatesman for his unprovoked insults or prepare for his date with the law.

“It is on record that Alhaji Ibrahim Idris supervised one of the most thorough and prudent administration’s in the history of Kogi State. The administration’s human capital package was superb. For the Nine years he was in the saddle he cleared Three months salary and pension arrears which he inherited, paid salaries, pensions, impress, leave bonuses and other emoluments as and when due, and was the first to implement the N18,000 minimum wage in the North. The administration also paid bursary WAEC/NECO examination fees for all eligible students even as it did not default in its responsibilities to contractors. The greater Lokoja water scheme, International Market, Specialist Hospital, Confluence Stadium, State Secretariat Phase II housing estates and others too numerous to mention still set the Ibro years aside. It is worthy of note that Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, did not obtain any foreign or bank loans and could not have bequeathed any. Again, we challenge Adeyemi to furnish the public with any contrary details or issue an apology to the former governor.

“No campaign DG, no matter how smart or dull he may be, can pull the wool over our collective memory by attempting to rewrite our history before our very eyes. Politicians ought to have the fear of GOD.”