Leave Minister of Steel out of Kogi Election Tribunal Matters – Audu/Faleke Group

By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja.

A group, Audu/Faleke Political Structure in Kogi has called on Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) to leave the Honourable Minister of Steel, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu out of the Kogi Gubernatorial Election Tribunal Matters.

The group made the call at a press conference on Monday in Lokoja in a rejoinder to a communique issued by KECS alleging that day Minister was leading traditional rulers and some stakeholders on a visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Spokesman of the group, Mr Emmanuel Ekele, Head of Secretariat of the group said the issues raised in the Communique were concocted, fabricated and existed only in their “vague imagination.”

According to the former Director General Protocol, Kogi Government House, the allegations raised in the Communique issued on April 2, against Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu were concocted and fabricated, frivolous and sweeping and mischievous.

The Audu/Faleke Political group said the Honorable Minister had no business, absolutely interfering in the on-going Kogi State Gubernatorial Election Tribunal which is part of the electoral processes. “It is also not within his purview.

“The Honourable Minister prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu has strong faith in our judiciary and wish to advise KECS to desist from speculations and casting aspersions on the judiciary which is very wrong and misleading.

“He is awake to his responsibilities as a Federal Minister and what he should do for his state (Kogi) and his immediate constituency.

“The Minister is concerned, at this time, with his primary task of reviving the Steel Sector for the good of the nation’s economy and has really no time for the imagined accusations.

“As KECS, the ideal thing is to advise where there is a need or gap to be filled and not to manufacture issues where non-exists.

On the allegation that the Honourable Minister was dragging traditional rulers into the murky Waters of politics, the group appealed to KECS to stop debasing the traditional institution by bringing the custodians into petty issues.

Ekele said that the Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu in his humble disposition, would have respectfully honoured an invitation from the KECS group for clarifications but the stakeholders did not seem it fit to do so.

He said that even when the Honorable Minister sent a message to Alhaji Sule Iyaji, KECS leader, of his intension to pay him a visit, he did not oblige him adding, “A man of his status and age would have waited for the visit and seek clarification before raising issues.

He called on the group to stop issuing threats to people and should also know that threatening people without justification amount to criminal intimidation which is an offense under the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“At this Junction, may we put it on record that if anything happens to the Honorable Minister and or any of his supporters Kogi East Critical Stakeholders (KECS) should be held liable”, he said.

Ekele on behalf of the Audu/Faleke Political group called on the Directorate Of State Services DSS) to invite KECS for questioning over the “festival of blackmail” against sensitive institutions of government and individuals. (Ends)