Idris Wada Former Kogi State Governor, Idris Wada, says contrary to claims that he was voted out from office, his government was rigged out. He stated this during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics in Lagos ahead of the governorship election in the state. “I was not voted out. Do you know what happened in that election? We were rigged out and during the tribunal, we got the permission of the tribunal to inspect the ballot papers.
“And we found ballot papers from Edo, from Kano, from Benue in Kogi election under the current electoral plan of INEC. And when we removed those counted, we were leading by 25,000 votes”. It’s been 4 years since Wada lost the election to the then governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Audu Abubakar. Abubakar however died before being officially announced the winner of the poll. Following Abubakar’s demise, Yahaya Bello who contested at the APC primaries was used by the ruling party to fill the vacuum. However, Wada claims that he is more popular than Abubakar saying: “I was more popular or as popular, let me say so with all modesty.
People saw what I was doing. Now they are calling for me to come back.” When asked why he would want to return back to the Lugard House, the seat of power in Kogi State, Wada explained that it was necessary to continue with his achievements. He, however, accused his successor of abandoning some of the projects built by his government in 2015. “I completed the largest motor park in West Africa. Because of our strategic location, I wanted people coming through to see Lokoja as a pleasant environment and may even consider living in our place.
“We have a very well-equipped vocational training centre as part of our youth development programme. It was commissioned, it’s abandoned now. They are not using it. “I started the Kogi State University Teaching Hospital; it was going to be a centre of excellence. It has been abandoned since I left,” he said. With the election in November, Wada is hopeful of clinching the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ticket to wrestle incumbent Governor Bello of the APC.
“The trade mark of Yahaya Bello is violent, under my watch people sleep with their two eyes closed, i put an end to thuggery and other insecurities which today thuggery is back and people now sleep with one eyes open” Capt Wada as he appealed for more time to enable him complete his tenure