Double registration: Presidency drops backing for Gov. Bello

There are strong indications that the Presidency may have withdrawn its backing for the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
This followed the pronouncement by the Independent National Electoral Commission that Bello engaged in double registration.
Bello was said to have registered in Abuja and also in Kogi State.
The offence, according to the Electoral Act, is punishable by one year imprisonment or a N1 million fine.
However, as a sitting governor, Bello has immunity against prosecution.
But The Eagle Online learnt that the public pronouncement by INEC on the issue was an indication that the cabal that backed Bello in the Presidency to replace the late Abubakar Audu as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress during the governorship election in the state has withdrawn support for him.
The Eagle Online recalls that when Audu died midway into the governorship election in Kogi State, there was a crisis over who should replace him as the candidate of the APC, which was then coasting home to victory.
While a camp within the party, led by its National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, pursued the cause of having Audu’s running mate, Hon. James Faleke, as his replacement, others, led by the cabal in the Presidency, opted for Bello, who had staged a walkout during the primaries for the governorship ticket of the APC.
The cabal had its way despite several allegations levelled against Bello, including campaigning for the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and then incumbent, Captain Idris Wada.
Sources, however, said the cabal has fallen out with Bello, leading to INEC, which had kept quiet over the issue of Bello’s double registration, going public with the information.
A Presidency source told The Eagle Online: “INEC keeping quiet over the issue before now was quite deliberate.
“Why did the issue not surface before now?
“It is glaring that the Presidency too has fallen out with Bello on several fronts, including his failure to justify the support he got to emerge governor by delivering dividends of democracy to the people.
“Not only that, he has also taken on several heavyweights of the APC, believing that the only way to pave the way for his second term in office is to knock them all down.
“Party politics is not like that.”
Of recent, several chieftains of the APC from Kogi State have moved against Bello, citing his failure to deliver democratic dividends to the people and for side lining them in the affairs of the State and the party.