The Movement for the Emancipation of Kogi State (MEKSTA) has berated former Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, over what it described as a “shameful display of administrative recklessness” following his use of official state insignia in a congratulatory message to the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Waidi Shaibu.
Bello had come under fire after a letter he authored to the new Army Chief went viral online, bearing the Kogi State Government’s official letterhead and seal, despite no longer holding office. The backlash forced the former governor to delete the letter from his verified social media pages.
In a statement issued in Lokoja yesterday, MEKSTA described Bello’s action as “an act of impersonation and a national embarrassment,” accusing him of deliberately misleading the public and disrespecting the institutions of governance.
“The world woke up to see a letter that portrayed Yahaya Bello as still holding the office of governor,” the statement said. “While he has the right to felicitate with anyone, using official state stationery after leaving office is deceptive, irresponsible, and unbecoming of a former public officer.”
The group accused Bello of demonstrating the same “administrative ignorance” that allegedly defined his years in office, particularly his handling of the state civil service.
“This is the same man who crippled the civil service with unpaid salaries and allowances, and denied workers training, promotion, and pensions,” MEKSTA noted. “His action only reinforces the public perception of his disdain for due process.”
The organisation wondered why Bello, and not the incumbent governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, issued the message to Major General Shaibu. It also queried Bello’s silence over other Kogi indigenes recently appointed by President Bola Tinubu into key federal positions.
“Bello should not imagine that Major General Waidi Shaibu is another of his political enforcers,” MEKSTA cautioned. “The new Chief of Army Staff is a disciplined professional, not a tool for political manipulation.”
The group urged Bello to emulate former governors who have retired quietly to private life or continued to serve the nation with dignity.
“When last did anyone see former Governor Donald Duke of Cross River State or Ibrahim Idris of Kogi State meddling in government business after leaving office?” the statement asked. “That is how statesmen behave — not by clinging to power through letterheads.”
The statement was jointly signed by Hon. Obafemi Medaiyese, Comrade Joseph Mebatonije, Alhaji Yusuf Kpareke, Mallam Jimoh Ozovehe, Dr. Nurudeen Adaviriku, Alhaji Isiaka Momoh, Chief Ojonimi Adegbe, Pastor Mark Onucheyo, and Bishop Husseini Saidu.