Former Governor Yahaya Bello has demanded that lawmakers in the Kogi House of Assembly rubber-stamp everything his successor and political benefactor, Ahmed Ododo, presents to the parliament.

Specifically, the ex-governor and godfather aimed his instruction at the newly elected lawmaker, Hassan Shado.

Mr Bello, notorious for his corruption case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, while admonishing Mr Shado, suggested that other lawmakers were already yes-men to the incumbent governor.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Mr Shado the winner of the by-election, polling 55,073 votes to defeat Godwin Meliga of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 1,038 votes.

In a viral video sighted by Peoples Gazette on Friday, Mr Bello sternly warned the lawmaker-elect to support anything that comes to the Assembly, even if he does not understand it, stressing political victories were a collective achievement.

“As you are going in there now, go and cooperate with the Speaker, other members of the House of Assembly of Kogi State, and be part of those that will support Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo; in everything that comes to the Assembly, everything, even if you don’t understand it,” the politician said.

Noting that no one can win election without support from loyal party stakeholders and members, Mr Bello urged the new lawmaker to embrace inclusivity in the discharge of his duty.

The ex-governor stated, “I urge you to ensure inclusivity, broad consultation, and collective leadership. You have been declared winner of this election. But remember, it was not by your effort alone. Your people stood firmly behind you; they worked for your success. Do not let them down in any way.”

Mr Bello expressed confidence that the All Progressives Congress in Kogi would retain all key political positions in the next general elections.

“I want to assure you that our President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will be re-elected. Our Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, will be re-elected. And all our candidates will continue to win on the platform of our great party,” the politician declared

A media aide for the former governor did not respond to phone calls and WhatsApp message.

However, Mr Bello’s statement has generated mixed reactions from Nigerians on X, with many berating the ex-governor for mocking the country’s nascent democracy.

An X user, @Seakay, wrote, “The only way to fix Nigeria is for the youths to get serious with politics and elections. Don’t let them deceive you that your votes don’t count. There’s limit to how much they can rig and if the people learn to collectively protest, the riggers will be scared. If the politicians are scared of losing votes rather than their godfather’s approval, they will please the people by doing what’s right.”

“We are in a Zoo. This is not a country, this is animal kingdom. One day, Revolution will come and we will take back our country from this animals,” @DarlingtonNels6 said.

Another user, @JattoJoshua2, wrote, ”Just look at this, sometimes you just ask yourself if this country is a real place, where do you want to start to criticize this.”