“Many people say Yahaya Bello is young; that he has fought many people. For every one that the governor has offended, I’m asking all of you to forgive him. He is young; he is supposed to make mistakes. When you are young, you make mistakes but you learn from them,” el-Rufai said.
“On his behalf, I’m kneeling down, to beg all of you to forgive Yahaya Bello if he has offended you. He cares about the people of Kogi State. He cares about this state. He has brought progress to this state; he has brought young people and women into government.
“He has cleared salary arrears that he inherited from previous governments. You must all come out to support him. I beg you all. Let us make history. The Late Prince Audu did everything to bring progress to this state. Let us not dishonour his memory by allowing PDP to return to Lugard House,” were the words of the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el Rufai, down on his kneels at the All Progressives Congress’ APC mega rally in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital on Thursday.
Edo Deputy Governor, Mr. Philip Shuaibu was also on his knees; but Bello stood clapping with a smirk on his face.
For the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, el Rufai and Shaibu’s gestures were coming late in the day as Kogi people had made up their minds to go with its own candidate, Engineer Musa Wada.
PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement said, “Unfortunately, the apology is coming too late in the day and cannot be accepted by the people of Kogi State, whose lives, Yahaya Bello had turned into a living hell in the last four year.
“Moreover, Yahaya Bello openly confirmed that he is irredeemable as he stood without any sign of remorse while El-Rufai and the Edo State deputy governor begged the unimpressed scanty crowd….
Governor El-Rufai and the APC ought to have counseled Yahaya Bello at the time he was busy suppressing, insulting, abusing and making life unbearable for the people of Kogi state as if there will not be a day of reckoning.
“The irreversible fact is that the day of reckoning has come. The people of Kogi state have moved beyond Yahaya Bello and the APC. They are already moving on with the PDP candidate, Engr. Musa Wada, in their determination for a new order in their state and there is no looking back.”
With el Rufai in Lokoja were First Lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari; wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo; and the National Chairman of the APC, Mr Adams Oshiomhole. el Rufai is the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Gubernatorial Campaign in Kogi State.
Curiously, at the same rally, el Rufai praised his Kogi State counterpart for his performance, and upbraided the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP which he urged Kogi people to “bury PDP once and for all,” adding that the 12 years of PDP before Bello were a waste
“In the past four years, the progress recorded by the APC government under Governor Yahaya Bello is more than what the PDP has tried to do in 13 years.
“He cares about this state, he has brought progress to this state, he has brought young people into government, he has brought women into government. He has brought physical progress; he has cleared salary arrears that he inherited from previous governments.
“You must all come out and support him. I beg you all.”