Parties Step Up Move to Succeed Bello in Kogi

Ibrahim Oyewale writes on the salient factors that may shape the succession struggle among the political parties for the governorship seat in Kogi State ahead of the November, 2023 poll.

Three weeks after the conclusion of the general elections across the country and with the dust raised gradually settling down, attention is being shifted to Kogi State political landscape that has once again become beehive of activities as political calculations and permutations towards the gubernatorial primary by all political parties in the State had since commenced.

The political gladiators and their foot soldiers have already returned to their trenches to strategize over who takes over from the incumbent governor, Yahaya Bello, at the end of his tenure in January, 2024   

The November ,2023 governorship election in the confluence state, will no doubt be very interesting as many strange factors are already making foray into the political terrain.

Apart from the power of incumbency which is already sending jitters into the spine of many stakeholders in the state, sources hinted that this has been posing a lot of threat to some critical stakeholders within and outside the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

Other factors such as power shift or power rotation which has also been a recurring decimal in the political arrangement of the state is now heating up the polity already.

Before this time, the main opposition party in the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had strongly believed and was so confident that its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, would win the Presidential poll which would have made it easier to oust the  APC from the seat of power in Kogi State having lost to the incumbent Governor twice in 2015 and 2019 respectively.

But with the APC retaining power at the centre after Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu won the presidential poll, the political permutations appear to have been altered.

Despite this salient factor, the opposition parties are not relenting in their strategies  towards ensuring that another political party form the next government in the State.

This development, it was learnt, has caused  serious setback in the opposition camp which has been strategizing to team up with a yet-to-be-known third force to wrest power from APC, while on the other hand, the APC  is working hard to ensure its candidate takes over from Governor Bello in January, 2024.

THISDAY investigations further revealed that once the party governorship primaries are over, there would be realignment of forces among the interest groups to ensure that they produce candidates of their choice during the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Kogi State.

Be that as it may, another theory of (16 :16)  has rented the air in the recent times, particularly among the people of Kogi Central senatorial district. Though with nostalgia, Kogi Central people are claiming that Kogi East has done 16 years in government, saying it is incumbent on them to complete another eight years  after the expiration of the present administration in the State.

Political pundits in the Confluence State have argued that this move may put paid to the wishes and aspirations of  Kogi West to have a shot at the seat of power for the first time in the 32 years history of the State.

They further posited that now that Nigeria’s politics is gradually evolving, it’s high time Kogi State formulated a power rotation arrangement in the interest of fairness, justice and equity given the nature of the state.

The proponents of power shift theory, therefore, believe every component parts of the Confluence State must have equal rights to the Lugard House seat of power to remove the seemingly monopolistic and oligarchy tendencies that have been  the order of the day before now. 

They described Kogi State as mini- Nigeria with several ethnic groups but with Ebira, Igala and Okun people in the majority and yet it has been cries and hues of marginalisation, mistrust and distrust among the three major ethnic groups since the creation of the state in 1991.

There is also the struggle for the number one seat by the centrifugal and centripetal forces in the state towards ensuring that their interests are adequately taken care of at all costs.

This, it was gathered, will largely depend on the interests of those at the centre.

Although opinions are divided about this, observers of political events in Kogi State are keeping their fingers acrossed to see the next episode of political games coming in no distant future.

Interestingly, a total of 18 aspirants had obtained nomination forms on the platform of the  APC, until last Saturday when one of the leading aspirants tactically withdrew from the gubernatorial race.

However, 17  other aspirants were screened by the APC Governorship Primary Screening Committee in Abuja and awaiting the results. These aspirants cut across the three senatorial districts, with Kogi East having eight aspirants, Kogi Central six and Kogi West reduced to three following the withdrawal of Hon James Abiodun Faleke from the race.

Just like the APC, no fewer than10 aspirants are jostling for the Lugard House Seat under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party in Kogi State ahead of the November gubernatorial election.

Prominent among the aspirants are the immediate past Deputy Governor under PDP administration, Yomi Awoniyi, Senator Dino Melaye and Senator Attai Aidoko, among others.

However, as at 31st March 2023, no fewer than 28 governorship aspirants have picked nomination forms and have been screened for the party primaries.

Those contesting for APC governorship ticket are Senator Smart Adeyemi, Deputy Governor Edward David Onoja, Dr. Sanusi Ohiare, Ahmed Usman Ododo,  Salami Momodu,  Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, Hajia Halima l. Alfa, Prince Shauibu Abubakar Audu, Senator  Yakubu Oseni, Momoh Jibrin, Yusuf Yakubu Okala, Asiwaju  Asiru Idris, Abdulkareem Asuku Jamiu, Professor  Stephen Ikani Ocheni, Abubakar Yahaya Achimugu, Idachaba Friday and  David A. Jimoh.

On the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP the aspirants includes Senator  Attai Aidoko,  Kabiru Usman, Abdullahi Haruna,

Reuben Atabo,Gideon Ojata, Musa Wada,

Bolu Femi, Senator Dino Melaye, Yomi Awoniyi, Idoko Lona,  and Leke Abejide of African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Ahead of the November, 2023 governorship election in Kogi State, stakeholders from the West Senatorial district have called on President Muhammadu Buhari, President- Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Yahaya Bello to allow the zone produce the next governor of the state.

The Stakeholders unanimously made the appeal during the APC ‘Thank You” rally organized by Senator Smart Adeyemi to appreciate the people of Kogi West for their support to the party in the just concluded presidential and National Assembly elections.

Speaking at the rally organized in Kabba, the  headquarters of the Senatorial district , Adeyemi  said the “Thank you” rally became imperative in view of the fact that the zone gave 75 percent of its votes to the APC  in the last presidential and National Assembly  elections.

He said, “For fairness, equity and justice, the governorship position should move to the Western Senatorial district. We urge Governor Yahaya Bello to borrow a leave from the Northern governors who did not look at the strength of Northern population but insisted that power must shift to  Southern Nigeria.

“Not only that, they gave their support to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to win the presidential election. The northern governors are the true heroes of this democracy.

“If governor Bello toes the part of the northern governors and reciprocate the gesture in Kogi state, he will be remembered for many generations to come as the hero of Kogi democracy.”

Adeyemi also urged President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to throw his support behind the agitation for Kogi West to produce the next governor, saying he was also beneficiary of the APC zoning system that returned power to the South.

Various stakeholders who spoke at the rally including a Commissioner at Universal Basic Education, Amb. Dare Olutekunbi however said if the zone should produce the next governor, Senator Adeyemi should be considered for the position.

“Senator Adeyemi, who is the current senate committee chairman on FCT, has served in the senate for three terms. He is an honest politician, a team player and someone well loved by his people, he is a man of diligence and impeccable character with a zest for selfless service

“His knowledge as a Senator and NUJ former President has given him the requisite experience, capabilities and acceptability to make the APC win the governorship election”, the stakeholders submitted.