Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has been eerily quiet since losing the APC presidential primary election early in June. We are talking about a man who was called Buhari's boy. A man who fought dirty for Buhari and the APC, even to the point he was nickname the LoT, (Lord of Thugs).
I watched with awe as thugs took over Kogi State during the last governorship and presidential election in 2019, in what can best be described as over the top political rascality, as Governor Bello sought to appease his master who at the time was at the brink of being kicked out of power by a people who realized 2015 was a mistake, and also to ensure he had a second term in office whether or not the people want him as their governor for another 4 years.
I do not know where his motivation comes from, but considering how he became governor of the State, one can conclude that every of Bello's actions were those of someone paying allegiance to his master. In other words, he was simply doing the biddings of those who installed him as governor.
He was heartless, ruthless, and reminds one of biblical Rehoboam. He owed workers so much that some gave up and ended their lives. Yet, despite all his misdeeds, which will be difficult to exhaust, the young governor became so popular that he felt he has what it takes to rule the country.
At first it sounded funny that Mr Bello didn't seem to understand what made him popular. It wasn't because he was such a great man or the best thing to have ever happened to the world.
Throughout his 8 years as Governor of Kogi State, I honestly cannot remember reading any good thing he accomplished, save his intervention in last year's food blockage. Not that he didn't actually perform at all, to be fair, but that his accomplishments are probably so few and far between that they are unnoticed.
I am not one to speak bad of anyone. Besides, only a few know about my existence for my views to be any consequential. But, considering what happened in 2019, particularly in Kogi State, I cannot but feel sad, that a man who appeared to have taken thuggery and election malpractice to a whole new level, wants to become the leader of a country already battered by the 8 years of misrule.
Unfortunately for Bello though, not only are his people, and advocates of good governance, against his presidential ambition, but even his party, his master Buhari, and all whom he fought dirty for, decided he was a nobody during the party's primary election. Perhaps, they felt he's only good at mobilizing thugs during election, and believe his services would be most useful in the next election, and not by being on the ballot paper himself.
This is politics, and the young governor has failed to realize that the best service he could render as a leader, is to his own people, and not to an individual or cabal. He must have thought his years of service to the cabal would suffice to further his political ambition. But he had a tough reality check last month.
I personally felt so disappointed that a man who claimed to represent the youth, happens to be the worst of all Governors in power since 2015. In fact, even Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna State, whom his critics referred to as 'short devil', performed exceptionally well in terms of infrastructural development except in the area of security, Job creation and destabilizing the educational system in the state.
Governor Bello had his chance to make a name for himself, that would have been engraved in the good hearts of not only his people, but Nigerians as a whole, being the youngest of the bunch, but he wasted it.
Following his eventual and expected exit from the all important 2023 presidential race, a man who hardly made headlines since serving as governor of Anambra State, and as running mate to Atiku in 2019 presidential election, has emerged out of the blue, as the new face of a new Nigeria, riding on the back of an unprecedented movement in the history of politics in the country, a movement so powerful that both the ruling party and PDP feel threatened.
In truth, we would have been talking about an Obi/Bello presidency in the next election, but are now talking about an Obi/Datti ticket, with Bello now out of the spotlight, and seeing out his remaining days in office as governor in darkness.
I really do hope Mr Bello has learnt something from his setbacks. I also hope he'd have a rethink, and return to the right path while he still can.