A Nigerian Lawyer and APC Chieftain, Jesutega Onokpasa has defended his support for Yahaya Bello, the former Governor of Kogi State, amidst internal party pressures.
He questioned whether Bello had been declared guilty of any wrongdoing, asserting that his friendship with Bello is genuine and should not be compromised due to political machinations. He expressed his disdain for those within the party who attempt to intimidate members into withdrawing support for Bello by threatening appointments and positions. He reaffirmed his commitment to Yahaya Bello, stating that their relationship is based on mutual respect rather than financial or political dependency.
He said in an interview with Arise TV from 6:52, ”Has Yahaya Bello been declared guilty of any offense? He’s my friend, and in fact, he calls me his elder brother. Should I deny him because some people have ganged up against him in our party? They are trying to intimidate people that if you keep supporting him, you will not get an appointment. So, if I stab him in the back, I will get an appointment. Look, not all of us are like those kind of people.
I stand with Yahaya Bello; he does not feed me, and neither does he give me anything, and I don’t owe him anything, but he’s my brother. And he’s my friend who respects me. And you see these funny people who are ready to dump their friends because of a little challenge; I mean, I’m so ashamed of them. If they can do this to Yahaya Bello today, then they can equally do it to me tomorrow. This is just about the politics of Kogi State and to determine whether Usman Ododo will come back or not. We are the members of the party, and we know what is going on.”