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Director General, Media and Publicity to Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Kingsley Fanwo, has accused the Deputy Governor, Simon Achuba, of attempting to distabilise the state.
He made the allegation during proceedings at the Investigative Panel probing charges of gross misconduct against Achuba yesterday, while being led in evidence by lead counsel to the State House of Assembly, Ademuyiwa Adeniyi.
He said Achuba’s claim that Bello was “waging violence against the people of Kogi State was a direct incitement against the governor and state government.
“My attention was drawn to the disparaging allegations by the Deputy Governor and I had to appear on television to set the records straight.
“He alleged that the governor wanted to kill him and that he (Bello) was grooming murderers. These are very weighty allegations to defame the governor. The governor is not a murderer and does not groom murderers. The onus of proof therefore, lies on Achuba.
“He claimed he has not been paid for two years and I went to the programme with a document that shows he has been paid up to date. This is another falsehood peddled to make the state government look irresponsible.”
Fanwo said Achuba also claimed that the combined wage bill of the state government and the local government areas was N4.4 billion, adding: “This is not true, as we pay N6.4 billion monthly.
“Also, our internally generated revenue (IGR) for 38 months was not N51 billion as he claimed. He simply appeared on television to defame Bello and the state government.”
Earlier, Auditor General of the State, Yakubu Okara, told the panel how Achuba has been violating audit laws since 2016, saying he (Achuba) had refused to retire all the monies paid to his office in spite of repeated requests from the Auditor General’s Office.
Lead Counsel to the Deputy Governor, Jibrin Samuel Okutepa (SAN) strove to prove that Achuba’s life was threatened by the governor, saying there had been reports of violence in the state prior to the last general elections.
Chairman of the panel, John Baiyesea, intervened severally to calm frayed nerves, even as Fanwo happened to be the last witness called by the House of Assembly’s legal team.
