…SAYS REASON WHY HE REFUSED DEPUTIZING LEKE ABEJIDE

The concrete arrangement by stakeholders in Kogi State to present Leke Abejide and Muritala Ajaka on a joint ticket was botched by the now SDP governorship candidate because of his believe that christian can never become governor of Kogi State.

Stakeholder in the state it was gathered had laboured for many months seeking a strong ticket that can stand against governor Yahaya Bello who was gunning for his kinsmen to succeed him, had settled for an alignment to have a strong candidate as Governor and Deputy from the West and Eastern flank of the state.

It was gathered that talk was in advance stage as some people from the Eastern flank felt that there is need to allow the west got a chance for the state number one position; an agitation they felt was ripen and considerate

They have become comfortable for Leke Abejide to run under the umbrella of the African Democractic Congress and urged Muri to deputies him to secure bloc votes from the Igala people.

But at the last minute, the now SDP candidate, Muritala Ajaka was said to have pull out of the arrangement telling the stakeholders that Christian ‘cannot” be allow to govern Kogi State. So, he, being a strong adherent of Islam cannot be seen deputising a Christian candidate.

Muriwas said to have quoted governor Yahaya Bello in the minute, “He said Bello told him (Muri) in confidence that he (Bello) did not allow his deputy, David Onoja to get the APC ticket because of his christian faith. and he (Bello) knows that a Christian will never be allow to govern the state.” The source in the meeting duly informed.

The source also quoted Muri to have emphatically stated that his Igala dominated Eastern Senatorial district will not vote for a Christian candidate even if the candidate was an Igala in as much as the person is a Christian.

In the meeting held in Abuja, Muri said he already see himself as the governor as he believed that he stand a better chance as a Muslim candidate because there is no way a Christian will be allow to become the governor of the state, buttressing his point that Faleke who worked along late Abubakar Audu was solely denied the chance to replace Audu because of Falake’s religion position.

The source said it was at that point that all the arrangement for allignment by the political stakeholders to present a Leke/Muri Joint ticket crumbled like a pack of card fueling more distrust between the people of the state expecially along ethnic and religion line
End.