EFCC vs Bello: Your meddling will attract dire political consequences – Group cautions Natasha

By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja

CONGRESS of Ebira Youths For Justice and Fair Play, a socio-political group in Kogi Central Senatorial District, has cautioned Senator Natasha Uduaghan against meddling in the Ex-governor Yahaya Bello and EFCC debacle.

The group gave the caution in a press conference it tagged, “Words of caution for Senator Natasha Uduaghan and FG on Ex-governor Yahaya Bello and EFCC debacle” held on Monday at Intercontinental Hotel Ogaminana in Adavi LGA.

Convener of the group, Comr. Kabiru Usman who addressed the newsmen said the group was made up of representatives of various youths and women organisations from the five Local Government Areas of Kogi Central.

Usman implored Sen. Natasha to note that the political difference between her and former Governor Yahaya Bello was domestic and internal affairs of Ebiraland.

He said that the face off between former Governor Yahaya Bello and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had dire consequences for peace and unity of Kogi state and Nigeria at large, if not properly handled.

He described the matter as political persecution of the former governor in which he alleged that the EFCC had made itself “a willing tool” in the hands of enemies of Ebiraland using the Commission as a canon folder to achieve their clandestine motives.

“Before we delve into the substance of the matter, I want to sound a word of caution to our sister and our Representative at the red chambers of the national Assembly, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan.

“It’s important for the Senator to choose her fight carefully no matter the energy at her disposal. We want to remind her of an Ebira adage which says that no one uses his/her oil to cook toad no matter the abundance of oil at her disposal.

“She should note that the political difference between her and FGYB is domestic and internal affairs of our Land.

“It’s therefore disturbing to see that she is using her past political differences with the former governor to align with enemies of Ebiraland who are using EFCC as a canon folder to achieve their clandestine motives.

He said that the Senator’s support for traducers of Ebiraland in “Yahaya Bello’s persecution has dire political consequences for her now and in the future” adding that no ethnic group in Kogi can love her more than her own.

On the EFCC, Usman said that various legal authorities had spoken on the illegalities of the Commission that suggest that the matter against Yahaya Bello is more of politics than the criminal prosecution.

He said that it was evidently clear from all that had happened “that EFCC is being used as smokescreen by Yahaya Bello’s Political enemies” saying that there was no evidence of formal invitation extended to him by the commission.

“EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede pulled the rug off the Commission’s feet when he went further to allege that Yahaya Bello took $720,000 of Kogi money to pay his children’s school fees in advance at the American international School, Abuja.

“Now, the questions to Mr EFCC chairman, is the former governor’s children not attending the school before he became governor? Was he in anyway indebted to the school on the account of school fees as private citizen?”, He queried.

The group urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to wade into the matter saying that there are times when silence is not golden saying, “We urge him to immediately call the EFCC boss to order if the anti corruption fight is to be taken seriously under his watch.”