Kogi State Traditional Rulers Council on Wednesday presented the governor, Yahaya Bello, to President Muhammadu Buhari for support towards his second term election in November.
The Monarchs were led to the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, by the Attah Igala, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni.
They also pleaded with the President to appoint one of their subjects as a substantive minister in his cabinet and not a minister of state.
Briefing State House correspondents after meeting with the President, spokesman of Kogi traditional rulers, Solomon Dele Owoniyi, the Obaru of Kabba and chairman of Okun Council of Obas, said that their meeting with the President was to seek the support of the President in his second term election.
According to him, Governor Bello had been endorsed by the people of the state.
He said “We are here on behalf of all the traditional rulers in Kogi state. We came to pay a courtesy call on Mr. President.
“We came for three basic things, one to felicitate with and congratulate him for winning the last general elections.
“We congratulated him because the election was so hectic and so many Nigerians were confused, they didn’t know what to do. But to God be the glory at the end of the day the president came back for the second term and his mandate was revalidated by most Nigerians especially in Kogi state.
“Secondly, we came to pray for him that this last lap is very critical in the checkered history of Nigeria and it is our wish and prayer that all the aspirations of Mr. President will come to fruition without much rancour.
“Thirdly, like the chairman of the traditional rulers said, the Attah of Igala said, he had come to upgrade what the president called the shopping list. Since we voted for the president and as usual like Oliver Twist we must demand our rights, we decided to upgrade the list of our demands from Kogi state.
“I am pleased to inform you, ladies and gentlemen, that Mr. President has graciously alluded to most of our requests and has told us to come home and tell our people that he has us at the back of his mind and that he was going to approach most of these issues as they come.
“Fourthly, we had to reintroduce our governor to the president. Some people in the social media are already saying we are playing politics, we are not playing politics we are being realistic. When you are realistic you say things as there.
“We came to reintroduced our governor to the president and demanded for normal support since they belong to the same party, the issue of endorsement is not here, the people at home have already endorsed His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Bello for second term, so we don’t need to re-endorsed him in Abuja here.” he added
He said that all the traditional rulers needed to do was to re-present the governor to the President and Commander in Chief of the armed forces of Nigeria.
He said that all the traditional rulers needed to do was to re-present the governor to the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
He said: “So we are very happy that Mr. President received us very well and the traditional rulers have reconfirmed their support for both the federal and state governments.
“And we are happy to announce too because our governor announced it here that the last tranche of bailout fund of about N30.8 billion has been approved. So the issue of salary arrears, allowances and pensions will be put to rest by His grace before the elections.
“So we are confident that with this federal government, we are going to have a good deal with it and by the grace of God since we are supporting Mr. President, it is natural and normal for him to pay us back in the right coins.
“So we are happy to announce to our people at home that Mr. President has promised to treat us very well.
“Like the chairman of our traditional council said, we are not comfortable with minister of state, so our status in the federal cabinet must be upgraded to a full fleshed minister and by the grace of God Minister of finance.” he said.
