Bandits attack: We’re not noise makers – Okai fires back at Gov Ododo

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, House of Representatives candidate for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the 2023 elections, Austin Okai, on Saturday, called on Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State to stop playing politics with security.

Okai described Ododo as a ‘rookie governor’ due to his failure to visit the Omala community where bandits killed at least 25 people last month.

Recall that about 25 persons were killed, and several houses set ablaze in Agojeju Odo, in Omala local government area of the state, when gunmen suspected to be bandits attacked the community.

Addressing journalists shortly after observing his Eid-el-fitri prayers at the Okene Eid praying ground in Okene, Ododo stated that he was not perturbed by recent attacks on his administration from naysayers, arguing that he would not dignify the promoters with a response.

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“Reacting to noise makers and those who do not have a stake in governance is not part of the mandate given to me by the good people of Kogi State and Mr. President,” he said.

Responding, Okai criticized Ododo for politicizing insecurity, questioning why the identity of the man arrested in connection with the killings was concealed and not openly paraded by security forces.

Okai said, “Ododo should have taken this matter seriously and silenced us by announcing the arrest of the suspect to the good people of Omala. Instead, he chose to announce it in Okene, in Kogi central.”

He further emphasized that Kogites should not expect much from the Ododo administration.

He criticized the governor’s delayed response to the incident and his failure to visit Omala promptly.

He added: “It is evident that the governor is mocking the people of Omala. It took him three days after the killings to react, and now he claims that the President gave him the mandate. It is clear that there is confusion.

“The president does not give mandates because the governor is the appointee of the people of the state, not the president. This shows that Usman Ododo believes he was pronounced by INEC based on a conspiracy theory.

“How can a governor say the President gave him a mandate? Is the President a Kogite? Usman Ododo should wake up and do his job.

“Usman Ododo remains clueless as far as I am concerned. If he understands the rudiments of governance, he should have visited Omala where over 25 people were killed by bandits.

“He has failed to create alternative shelters for the victims or send relief items to them in over two weeks since the incident occurred.”