Yahaya Bello and the EFCC

 I am writing this open letter to commend the President on his administration’s commitment to the fulfilment of his electoral campaign promises, ethos and mantra especially the Renewed Hope Agenda. I want to also stress categorically that throughout history, no nation has achieved any substantial leap without a leader who gives it a vision, strategic thinking and a coherent plan built on evidence and data. We are indeed very grateful to the Almighty God that since you assumed office, your leadership has shown all who loves our country that indeed you are the leader we have for so long yearned for.

 Second, your decision to implement painful decisions which are indeed necessary to make our country a better place for our generation and those yet unborn is reassuring and I commend you for this symbolic leadership gesture which is today generally acclaimed as a leadership that deals in hope. I am very confident that the bitter prescriptions though painful are very necessary to take us there.

Mr President, there is today a very disturbing issue in our dear state that needed your urgent attention. This has to do with the present persecution of our former governor, Yahaya Adoza Bello by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). This ugly event is today becoming very embarrassing to the people of the state, the APC as a political party and all lovers of justice. I remember vividly the contributions of our former governor,Yahaya Bello to your victory in the last Presidential election in the state and the nation in general having served as the Director  of Youth of your Presidential Campaign Council. I also remember how his leadership gave you the most resounding victory in Kogi State and the north central states where you got almost 80 percent of popular votes in the last election. For a man who worked assiduously hard to ensure your victory and that of the party to be left alone to be embarrassed by the EFCC is to say the least embarrassing to the people of the state. We want to say in clear terms that we are not saying you should shield him from prosecution because he is not above the law. But we are begging you to compel the EFCC to follow due process by not denying him his fundamental human rights.

 Some very important state governors who the EFCC categorically mentioned even before they left office as having cases established against them are presently walking free in the country and some of them are presently serving as prominent members of your administration which we do not have any problem with because the laws of the land stipulate that every citizen is assumed innocent until proven otherwise by a court of competent jurisdiction. The question we seem to ask daily with no answer is, why is the case against our former governor different? Mr. President, as the father of our nation, we are seeking your indulgence by asking you to please ask the EFCC to follow the due process of the law in this case. We believe if this is followed our former governor will not hesitate to present himself before the EFCC and the courts to answer the charges against him.

Barr Halima Alfa Gaya, PhD, Lokoja