A disturbing news filtered out recently that a frontline governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi state, Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, has been suspended from the party by his ward. This story generated a lot of mixed reactions from political analysts in the state before it came to be what it is – a rumour that should not be taken seriously. Anyone conversant with Kogi politics knows that Ajaka couldn’t have been suspended at this crucial time before the primary election because he is seen as the body and soul of the party in the state.
Ajaka’s importance and relevance to the APC and Kogi state in particular cannot be overemphasised. Ajaka, who is also APC deputy national publicity secretary, is generally regarded as the quintessential prince of the party in Kogi state; a man of several definitions to different people. A leader is one whose personality is so influential that it connects even with people he has never met.
A leader becomes a light that beams hope to the aspirations of the people, and impacts on their dreams.
Interestingly, his personality serves as the pathway to achieving unthinkable goals by anyone directly or remotely connected to his leadership ideology and practice. This is the type of leader the man, Murtala Ajaka, has come to be known for in the politics of Kogi state.
I am one of the practical testimonies of what his politics is all about and so are many others. As a student of Murtala Ajaka’s school of political thought, I have attained significant political feat since I met him in person after his emergence as the deputy national publicity secretary of the APC. His influence has been magnetic and impactful to many.
Murtala Ajaka in his generousity and inclusive leadership is a man that belongs to anyone particularly those who believe in his cause and ideology.
This unique leader has a style that enables any of his followers to personalise ownership of him. He never betrays you, he never forgets you when you have been there for him. If he believes in you, he stands by you till the end even if he is the only one that gives in to your cause, just as he is doing to President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state at the moment. Ajaka belongs to everybody, yet belongs to somebody at every point in time.
Ajaka is a leader, a friend, a partner, a political guru, a mentor, a father and respects fair-play. He believes in win -win and never engages in do-or-die politics because he is an advocate of a new political dispensation that emphasises the importance of the political dictum that “power belongs to the people”. His humanitarian ideology rejects blood politicking or life wasting exercises as commonly practiced by some greedy politicians. He never wants a person dead upon the victory of self or for his party in any political contest.
Ajaka was not well known in the political terrain of Kogi state in 1999, but has within a decade of his entrance into the top notchers of the politics of Kogi state, changed its political landscape tremendously that he is recognised as the real face and icon of progressive politics in this dispensation – this is greatness.
Ajaka is a leader who never leads from behind: he is usually in the frontline when goals are to be achieved because he is the motivator his team needs to achieve uncommon successes. He is a team player and this is because on leadership, the late Queen Elizabeth 2, once said”, I know of no single formula for success. But over the years I have observed that some attributes of leadership are universal and are often about their finding ways of encouraging people to combine their efforts, their talents, their insights, their enthusiasm and their inspirations to work together”.
When he becomes governor of Kogi state, by the grace of God, Ajaka’s best hands for the job are going to be based on careful observations and insights. This is unlike where nepotism, ethnicity, religion and language determine who gets what. His love for Kogi state surpasses his ambition to govern. Ajaka is not just a political leader but a recruiter of talents who has introduced many initiatives and schemes in the state as veritable platforms for people to thrive.
Fear not, for your leadership beckons. Ajaka is an open book as far as leadership is concerned, yet, he is an independent chapter of a voluminous epistle of life. His finest qualities are his ability to quickly forgive, a large heart but clothed in children’s spirit. In this dispensation, many people have already heralded him as a “Political Bible” in the state because of his uncommon achievements.
He is now a political brand, a brand not made for greed as his life is an embodiment of public good, Whatever he owns is for public service, even his personal residence belongs to the people, where the rich and the poor can visit for their respective intents because his greatness transcends politics and this is important to note. He is seen as an influencer, a leadership institution, a school of thought, a multiplier of values, a talent hunter and an authority in his political domain because he commands respect for what he has done in the state.
What should we do to honour Ajaka’s commitment to the people of the state and all he has done for the state? We must vote for him as the next governor of the state to make better things.
Wada writes from Abuja
