You Will Not Turn Kogi Into Banana State – Ex-Lawmaker Slams Gov Ododo

A former member of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Abidemi Adebola, who represented Yagba West, has asserted that Governor Usman Ododo’s bid for a second term is doomed from the outset.

Naijaonpoint reports that Adebola made this statement on his social media page on Sunday, stressing that the ruling party will not be permitted to transform the state into a banana republic.

The former lawmaker’s remarks were in response to a widely circulated video clip featuring the previous Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, who was promoting his successor’s re-election campaign.

“The second-term agenda is dead on arrival. You will not turn Kogi into a banana state,” Adebola wrote on his Facebook page.

Meanwhile, a Magistrate Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, has ruled in favour of the prosecution’s request to remand Austin Okai over allegations of cyberstalking and criminal defamation against Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo.

The Department of State Services (DSS) sought the court’s approval to detain Okai while investigations continue, citing the need to comply with Nigeria’s Criminal Justice System, which prohibits the detention of an accused person beyond 48 hours without court approval.

Delivering the ruling on Friday, Magistrate Mobah Abdullahi of Chief Magistrate Court 1, Lugard Court, Lokoja, granted the prosecution’s request and ordered Okai’s remand at the Federal Correctional Center, Kabba. The case was adjourned to March 13, 2025.

Okai, a former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Dekina/Bassa Federal Constituency in the 2023 general election, is facing trial over a social media post in which he alleged that Governor Ododo misappropriated billions of naira meant for Local Government Councils and state agencies.

Naijaonpoint recall that armed security operatives stormed the residence of Okai in Abuja on Wednesday morning and took him away.

Okai, a known opposition figure, has frequently spoken out against the administration’s policies and governance.