Baring last minute arrangements on the invitation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the inauguration of the new administration in Kogi on Saturday, Nigeria’s President, has jet out on a private visit to Paris without notice.
The President who left the country few days to Kogi inauguration was formally invited to grace the occasion during the farewell visit to the Villa by the outgoing Kogi Governor, Yahaya Bello last week.
With both local and international criticisms of the last November 11 governorship election in Kogi and the call for prosecution of INEC officials that handled the election by pre-filling the election results, attending the occasion by the President of Nigeria will be a slap and serious set back on the nascent democracy.
The outgoing Governor, according to sources using all lobbying streak and the security apparatus at the Presidency, top government officials, Ministers were not able to convince Mr President to attend tomorrow’s program.
Given the backlash on the outcome of the two off circle election in Kogi and Imo were APC won fraudulently, that is capable of affecting the legitimacy of the present administration and leadership at that level.
According to the sources at the Presidential villa, he is still recovering from the embarrassment of attending the Imo Inauguration condemned by well meaning Nigerians, Civil society organizations and the international community, as Kogi will be worst.
While wishing them well ,the body language of Mr President depicted a detest of what may happen in Kogi in the nearest future.
Kogi Governor who came in last eight years in a controversial manner ,forced him self on Kogi people in 2019, during the governorship election that saw the security agencies led by the Police using their helicopter to kill and disperse voters in Lokoja , the state capital and across the state.
With speculations on the official and unofficial invitation of the anti graft agency, the EFCC of the outgoing Kogi Governor in February which boardered on money laundering to the tune of 10B and 20B bail out, all hands must be on deck to watch the unfolding events in days to come after tomorrow.