2019: Kogi PDP denies Sen. Attai Aidoko automatic ticket

All is not going well concerning the bid by the lawmaker representing Kogi East Senatorial District of Kogi State, Senator Attai Aidoko, to return to the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as his ambition suffered another set-back.

This is consequent upon the Kogi State Peoples Democratic Party leaders’ refusal to grant him automatic ticket to vie for the position this time at the 2019 general elections.

This newspaper learnt last week that Aidoko was told by leaders of the Party that unlike Senator Dino Melaye, his desire for an automatic ticket was an impossible task for a number of reasons including the fact that the understanding for the automatic ticket was made with the rAPC members for which he’s not one. Secondly, having been in the National Assembly for 16 years, it was assumed that his popularity would make it easy for him to win the primaries election if he has done well for his constituency.

This latest development has forced the senator to adopt unusual means in a last-ditch effort to return to the National Assembly, apparently against the wishes of Kogi East people.

Senator Aidoko who was full of confidence that he would clinch the party ticket, was naturally deflated by this development. He has therefore taken to regular visits to Senator Dino with the hope that the latter’s goodwill and Saraki connection may fetch him the ticket at the primaries billed to take place on October 1, 2018.

Aidoko is also allegedly making a lot of underground maneuvers to tinker with the list of the recently concluded ad hoc delegates’ lists.

It would be recalled that the youths in Kogi East Senatorial District recently called on Senator Aidoko to halt his re-election bid as the zone was not ready for his return to represent them.

The youths under the aegis (Kogi Youths Arise Network) led by its coordinator, Mr. Mohammed Misah had condemned those they referred to as social media propagandists, who they said spin lies and launder the image of Aidoko for political makeover for 2019.

The youths said: “We don’t know what we want, where we are coming from and where we are headed.

“The Igala youths of today have failed to differentiate between their political enemies and political saviours.”

The youths had said that it was under Aidoko’s watch that Ibaji oil wells were ceded to Anambra State.

“Senator Aidoko has provided poor representation, starting from his days in the House of Representatives, where he represented Ankpa/Omala/Olamaboro Federal Constituency from 2003 to 2011, and served as Chairman, House Committee on Federal Capital Territory and later as Chairman, Senate Committee on SEGS.

“As a senator, he can’t point at one single thing as achievement that we can call his constituency project.

“He is only after his personal interest and that of his godfather, which is not good for our people in need of development.

“In fact, Aidoko is a liability on the good people of Kogi East and he has no political relevance in both the region and at the national level.”

The youths noted that Aidoko hails from Ugbamaka-Igah in Olamaboro Local Government Area and that as the chairman, Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, there is “no project that has come to our land.”

Aidoko, they explained, is not in any way familiar with the saying that “charity begins at home,” while stressing that his people have no water, electricity, telephone network, schools, bank and Automated Teller Machine in the entire Olamaboro and “of course, no proper health care system yet, we have someone at the Senate representing us.

“Aidoko that we know always visits Igalaland at night and sneaks out before the crack of dawn.

“We can’t continue to wallow in this politics of stagnation where some wicked few individuals will gather together to oppose everything that is good for our land.

“Our region has suffered so much neglect despite the facts that we have several opportunities to develop, but we have been suffering so much neglect because of the attitude of some of our leaders.