With less than seventy days before the November poll, gladiators in the Kogi political firmament are back to the trenches; KEHINDE OSASONA gives more insights in this report.
Background
Preparatory to its return to the Lord Lugard House in Lokoja come November, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a few days ago, inaugurated a campaign council in Lokoja, the state capital, vowing to build on Governor Yahaya Bello’s achievements.
Governor Bello had in April at a stakeholders’ meeting held at the party’s secretariat in Lokoja endorsed Ahmed Ododo, the auditor-general of the state, as his preferred candidate to fly the party’s flag.
After the unveiling, Ododo, aggrieved aspirants like Edward Onoja, the chief of staff to Bello, and Mohammed Asuku both announced their withdrawals from the governorship race via their respective verified Facebook pages.
The deputy governor, who many had thought would succeed Bello before now, posted a cryptic message on his Facebook, which read: “To God be the glory for life and divine health. My appreciation to my leader, HE Alhaji Yahaya Bello, and all my supporters for your love and prayers. Let love, patience, and perseverance lead. I am forever grateful.”
Other aspirants who toed the same line were David Jimoh, Ashiru Idris, Okala Yakubu and Momoh Jubril also withdrew from the race. However, shortly after the mass withdrawals, rumours started flying around that the aggrieved people might have abandoned the governor to his fate.
The post-endorsement crisis almost tore the party apart as some defected to other parties, while others vowed to work against Governor Bello’s choice, saying Ododo was not popular.
But with the inauguration of the campaign council last week, it appears the party has got back its groove.
The development has also punctured the rumours making the rounds that Governor Bello was a lone ranger in the Ododo governorship project.
Not only that, the news that a former SDP chieftain in the state, Barrister Abdulrahman Tanko Ozi, has dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress (APC) and has collapsed his political structure to support the APC flag-bearer, Ododo, also excited the APC.
Ozi was the minority leader in the House of Assembly from 2007 to 2011, representing Koton Karfe state constituency.
While welcoming Ozi to the party, Ododo promised to consolidate on the achievements of his mentor, Governor Yahaya Bello, adding that the former SDP chieftain had made the right choice “in the interest of the state” by dumping his party.
No-go area for opposition?
As the election date draws near, political gladiators across party lines have intensified campaigns and have also continued to polarise the political space with accusations and counter-accusations.
The opposition parties said the APC has not lived up to the expectations of the people and would not be given another opportunity to govern.
One of the contestants and the main opposition party candidate, Senator Dino Melaye, boasted that there was no way the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP’s) achievements in 13 years of governing the state would be compared to the eight years of APC.
Melaye, a former senator and PDP flag- bearer, promised to liberate the people of Kogi from the “misrule” of Bello, insisting that the existing infrastructure in the state were projects initiated and completed when PDP governors ruled the state. According to him, the party is poised to return to power based on that.
Also, in a statement, the PDP spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, blasted Ododo, saying he is not popular in the state.
He said: “Ododo’s popularity is very weak compared to Dino Melaye who is more experienced and competent.
“The party also describes the assertion by the APC that there is no vacancy in the Kogi state Government House as an illusory and pathetic display of fear of imminent defeat by the PDP given the overwhelming popularity and acceptability of its candidate.
“Such an arrogant statement by the APC is a serious affront to the sovereignty and capacity of the people of Kogi state to freely elect their governor and further expose the condescension and contempt to which the APC and its very unpopular and rejected candidate, Usman Ododo, have for the people.
“The APC is aware that Usman Ododo as a very weak candidate has no chance in the face of the overpowering popularity and public acceptance of a more competent, more experienced, more transparent and people-oriented Senator Melaye.”
Has APC bounced back?
Many analysts have argued that although the opposition is keen at displacing Bello and APC, they contend that they are not doing enough.
Isa Akosin, a political analyst, told Blueprint Weekend that opposition politics has gone beyond how it is being branded in Kogi state.
“Any opposition should have at the back of his mind that it has a lot of work to do in order to wrest power from a sitting governor. Therefore, whether or not such a governor is a performer, removing him from power after practically taking over the state and planting his own cronies everywhere can be somehow herculean.
“My advice, therefore, is that rather than going it all alone, all these opposition political parties can still work together and I bet you that is the only way they can oust APC in the state,” he said.
When asked to comment on Bello’s tenure and what has changed, he said: “I will rather push the question back to you.
“Tell me, if he had done well, would there have been mounting opposition against him the way we are witnessing today?”
However, while dispelling opposition’s antics recently, the chairman of the National Campaign Council for the Kogi election, Governor Dapo Abiodun, boasted that the opposition parties were absent in the state, assuring party supporters of the determination of its national leaders to work in unity for the victory of its candidate, Usman Ahmed Ododo.
Abiodun, the Ogun state governor, noted that with the inauguration of the Campaign Council, election victory had begun in Kogi, saying the resilience and hard work of Governor Bello had led to the restoration of peace and security in the state.
He said, “Governor Yahaya Bello’s outstanding achievements in virtually all the critical sectors of the state are visible for all to see and I assure you that the next APC governor will build on these achievements in the interest of the good people of Kogi state.
“With the result of the last general elections, it’s certain that the APC would beat any opposition party in the governorship poll.”
Also speaking, the co-chairman of the Campaign Council and governor of Lagos state, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, urged the opposition political parties to look elsewhere for votes, insisting that Kogi was a no-go area for them in the November governorship election.
The Lagos state governor urged the people of Kogi not to be deceived by the ranting of the opposition parties, saying there was no alternative to APC; he described it as the “party that has the interest of the people at heart.”
The chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara state, who also spoke, said the people of Kogi state had resolved to stay with the APC.
He gave the assurance that the party would deliver for the APC a landslide victory in the November governorship poll, adding that the election “is a done deal.”
The die is cast
A political commentator, Daisi Meyanbe, in his view predicted that the election in Kogi would defy all known permutations and analyses.
“As you can see, Igala zone has about forty-five per cent of registered voters which has made it the political bridge among the three major parties.
“Therefore, the ability of candidates and their deputies, and political foot-soldiers to make an in-road into the places would go a long way in determining who carries the day; but for now, all hands remain crossed,” he said.
