N10bn refund: Gov Bello says PDP desperate criticism won’t work

Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has slammed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for raising eyebrows over President Muhammadu Buhari’s request to the National Assembly for approval of N10.069 billion refund for the state.

The governor’s Director General of Media and Publicity, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement Wednesday berated the opposition PDP for its desperate attempt to block the request, stressing such effort was ‘unpatriotic’.

The governor said the request was legitimate, stressing that attempt at blocking the payment of over 10 billion naira promissory note due to Kogi state government being refund of money spent in rehabilitating federal roads in the state, would be futile.

Speaking on an earlier statement issued by the PDP, the governor said: “Kogi State would have gotten the refund for long but for the obstructive tendencies of the former Senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Dino Melaye.

“He was able to obstruct the refund to the state because of his closeness to the then Senate President. It should be noted that other states had gotten their refund except Kogi State.

“The president, by writing to the Senate for the approval of the refund has displayed his father figure as the father of the nation who supports and promotes equity and fairness.

“A good number of contractors who executed the contracts then, many of whom are from the state are still being owed. It is, therefore, unpatriotic for anyone to advocate that the state be denied what is due to it. The refund has absolutely nothing to do with the forthcoming election and PDP should stop misleading the public.

“Now that their agent of retrogression has been kicked out of the Senate for his fraudulent electoral victory; the hapless PDP has resorted to wailing to high heavens by issuing scandalous and anti-people statements to deprive the Kogi people the injection of over N10 billion to infrastructural development in the state.

“As a fiscally responsible government, the administration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello has continually published its earnings and expenditures, including the bailout funds and the Paris refund.

Further, the statement said no administration in the history of the state has been as transparent as the Yahaya Bello administration; urging the PDP to stop embarrassing the state with their “false and irresponsible statements”.

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