CODIFIER

Over 300 appointees who served in the administration of former Governor of Kogi State, Capt. Idris Wada, on Sunday, commended Governor Yahaya Bello over what they described as the complete turn around of critical sectors of Kogi State, saying they had decided to totally submit to his leadership.    They also declared their total support for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the November 11 polls, Usman Ododo, describing his detrabilised personality as a good selling point.  Speaking on behalf of the others during a courtesy visit to the Government House in Lokoja, the leader of the delegation and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abubakar Sadiq Ainoko, highlighted specifically that it was pleasant to see that the first flyover in the state had been watered to fruition by the pragmatic leadership of Governor Bello.  He added that the project completion had improved the rating of Lokoja in terms of aesthetics.  He said, ‘’The Re

The sobriquet of Small Alhaji, is undoubtedly a very popular one and it means different things to different people. Although the man with the appellation was named Tajudeen Adeyemi Adefisoye ; but he is widely and better known everywhere he goes as Small Alhaji.   To some people, Small Alhaji is a politician while others see him as a philanthropist. Several others know him to be shrewd businessman, just as some other group of persons see him as a trail blazing democrat. Interestingly, he was and still known amongst members of the 9th National Assembly as the poster boy of the House of Representatives.   Adefisoye is evidently a man of many parts as he had set new records, carved niche for himself and also impacted several lives in his almost 39-years of existence. It is no longer news that Small Alhaji, against all odds won election at the age of 34, on the platform of a relatively unknown Social Democratic Party (SDP) to represent Idanre/Ifedore federal constituency of Ondo State in t

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Friday, refused the applications for bail of suspected criminals allegedly associated with the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in Kogi State, Muritala Yakubu.  The Appellants/applicants' motion for bail had earlier been refused by Hon. Justice Jamil Isah of the Kogi State High Court, sitting in Lokoja.  The Court of Appeal, presided by Hon. Justice Mohammed Mustapha JCA, in a well considered judgement delivered on Friday, in the appeals marked "CA/ABJ/PRE/CR/544MI/2023", also refused their bail applications.  Ojonimi Apeh, Esq appeared for the Appellants/Applicants, while Badama Kadiri, Esq (DPP) appeared for the Respondent.  The Appellants - Kabiri Echi Iyalo, Adama Kerim, Kabir Abdullahi and Salisu Isah Umar - were intercepted during a joint operation of security agencies on their way to Abuja on March 26, 2023, according to a statement signed by the spokesperson for the Department of State Services, Peter Afunanya,

By Ojochide Samuel Now, one needs to question the credentials this man called Muritala Ajaka has to qualify him to contest for the governorship of a state in Nigeria beyond his reliance on fruitless propaganda since the beginning of this election season.  If he is not shouting that they want to assassinate him, he is defending well established criminals in a state that has produced world acclaimed professionals across all fields. He and his managers have not, for once, tried to market what they have to offer the people of the state other than this ignoble dance around ethnic jingoism and character assassination without substance.  I was one of those that bought the wide misinformation in the past about Yahaya Bello, the Governor of the state, until I saw proof without being told, that he had actually achieved far more in the state, in terms of development, than had been achieved in over a decade before him.  For a long time too, Kogi State has not been at the centre of political reckon

...Affirms Ododo's victory  ...'Will of a few can't override will of majority' - Court A Federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on Wednesday, dismissed a suit filed by an aspirant in the All Progressives Congress' governorship primaries in Kogi State, Senator Smart Adeyemi, against the emergence of the candidate of the party, Usman Ododo, saying it lacks merit.  Delivering judgement in the suit marked "FHC/CS/556/2023 Smart Adeyemi v. APC & 2 Ors", Justice J.K. Omotosho held that Adeyemi's allegations were criminal in nature, as he alleged that elections did not hold and that the produced results were forged.  He said the Applicant needed to prove the allegations of forgery, falsification of results, beyond reasonable doubts.  The court noted that the burden rests on the Applicant to produce the forged result or the original and the forged results to discharge the burden, adding that failure to discharge the burden "is fata

  The Kogi State Government has berated the Social Democratic Party (SDP) gubernatorial candidate in the State, Muritala Ajaka, for allegedly spreading “falsehood with reckless abandon so as to put himself a garment of importance”  In a statement signed by Kingsley Fanwo, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, on Tuesday, warned those spreading falsehood to prepare to face the law.  The statement read, “we wouldn't have bothered to respond to the watery, evasive and sympathy seeking sinking candidate of the Social Democratic Party, who is dipping himself in the messy mud and and having an ignominious macabre dance on the sensibilities of Kogites and Nigerians as a whole.  “It is important to tell Nigerians and the world that Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, the said Governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, is on a blisteringly shameful agenda of whipping sentiments, spreading falsehood with reckless abandon so as to put on himself, a garment of importance and creat

  . Vows to do everything lawful to guarantee peaceful poll in November  . Reiterates endorsement of recent joint security operation  . Reveals it has reduced crime by 40%  . Says 'we'll never submit our authority to criminals' The Kogi State Government has reiterated its endorsement of the recent joint operation carried out by security agencies in the state, in which a notorious gang leader was neutralised, saying that the operation has reduced crime in the area by over 40 per cent.  The Commissioner for Information in the state, Kingsley Fanwo, who said this at the quarterly press briefing of the ministry on Monday in Lokoja, stressed that no amount of blackmail by desperate enemies of the state would stop the government from protecting lives and property of Kogites and cooperating totally with law enforcement agencies to rid the state of crime.  He said the Kogi State Government would not submit its authority to criminals, while calling on security agencies to invite tho

  .Ask Kogites to shun mischievous politicians playing victims, sponsoring crime  . Call on DSS, others to fish out, arrest politicians behind anti-security propaganda  Lawyers, leaders of Civil Society Organisations and professionals across all sectors of the economy have called on Kogi State indigenes at home and in the Diaspora to help security agencies to make the state uninhabitable for criminals masquerading as politicians in the state, especially as the November 11 governorship election draws closer.  They called on the good people of Kogi State to resist those they described as criminal political merchants trying to blackmail security agencies in the interest of their "unpopular ambitions."  Representatives of more than 50 CSOs and scores of lawyers, under the broad platform of Lawyers and Activists for Good Governance, made this position known at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday.  Barr. Mohammed Abdulrazaq Sani, a lawyer from Igalamela LGA, Kogi State, and Co

  The Kogi State Government has called on security agencies to invite politicians expressing “sadness over the death of a criminal for questioning”. Kingsley Fanwo, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, stated this in a statement on Tuesday. He noted that residents of the state have thrown their weights behind actions being taken by security agencies to rid the state of crimes. Fanwo, therefore, stressed that no extra Judicial killings in the state, noting that “some naysayers and purveyors of violence who were hard-hit by recent onslaught on criminals in the state want people to believe” The statement read, “the Kogi State Government wishes to state clearly and unequivocally that the good people of the state are totally in support of actions being taken by the security agencies to rid the state of crime and allow the peace that has been enjoyed over the years endure”  “If there is anyone on the streets protesting against the peace and security of the state, that person m