Kogi 2023 poll: All comers’ affair, as 30 men jostle to succeed Bello

THE battle for Lugard House has stirred a political storm in Kogi State. There is a rat race of sorts among a horde of aspirants from the various political parties to succeed Governor Yahaya Bello whose second term will officially terminate on January 27, 2024.

So far, no fewer than 30 aspirants have signified their interest to succeed Bello.

Although the aspirants cut across four political parties, only three parties seem to be serious about the contest. The parties are the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC; the main opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and the emergent  African Democratic Congress, ADC.

18 eye APC ticket, PDP screens 10

In the PDP, 10 aspirants have been screened to compete for the ticket, while the APC has 18 aspirants following the decision of James Faleke to pull out of the race. The ADC and Action Alliance so far have one aspirant each.

Agitation

Two issues have been on the front burner in the political atmosphere. One is the issue of power shift to the Western Senatorial axis, and the second is the agitation by Christian youths to produce the next governor of the state.

While the Igala-dominated Kogi East has governed the state for 17 years, the Ebira-dominated Central district will be serving eight years by the end of Bello’s tenure in 2024.

The Western Senatorial district has not produced a governor and all the civilian governors since creation of the state in 1991 have all been Muslims.

10 jostle for PDP ticket

The 10 aspirants cleared by PDP for its primary include Sen. Dino Melaye; Engr. Musa Wada, Senator Atai Aidoko Ali; Mohammed Kabiru Haruna; Abayomi Awoniyi; Bolufemi Olarotimi; Abdullahi Haruna ( SAN); Gideon Ojata; Reuben Atabo; and Idoko Kingsley Ilonah.

Three of the aspirants (Dino, Awoniyi and Bolufemi) are from the Western Senatorial district while the other seven are from the Eastern flank.

Political pundits said Melaye and Musa Wada are favoured to get the ticket but Idoko Kingsley Ilonah from Idaho LGA may spring surprise.

Some political watchers who earlier considered former Deputy Governor of the State, Yomi Awoniyi, as the favourite for the PDP now see Dino and Wada (younger brother of former governor Idris Wada) who belong to the Atiku camps as more favoured to clinch the ticket, as many members of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party are still in tune with the PDP presidential candidate.

On Monday, some members of the party protested at the National Secretariat in Abuja claiming that Dino Melaye had hijacked the delegate list. It’s been rumoured that 60 percent of the delegates were submitted by Dino to Senator Ningi who came to conduct the delegates’ election.

Dino and Yomi Awoniyi are, however, favoured by the power shift agitation only if the delegates base their judgment on it.

Scramble for APC ticket

The APC parades the highest number of aspirants.

Those who were cleared for the party’s direct primary include: Deputy Governor of the state, Edward David Onoja; current Senator representing Kogi West and former National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Senator Smart Adeyemi; and Abdulkareem Asuku, the chief of staff to Governor Yahaya Bello.

Others jostling for the Kogi APC ticket are Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka; son of the former Governor Abubakar Audu, Prince Shauibu Abubakar Audu; Sanusi Ohiare; former Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Salami Momodu O. Deedat; and Usman Ododo, Auditor General, Local oneGovernment.

Also cleared is the Chairman Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Crime, Senator Oseni Yakubu; Halima l. Alfa; Momoh Jibrin, the state Accountant general; and two other commissioners- Alhaji Yusuf Yakubu Okala; and the Finance Commissioner, Asiru Idris.

Others are former Minister of State, Prof. Stephen Ikani Ocheni; a reputable Insurance Broker and Banker, David Adebanji Jimoh; Abubakar Yahaya Achimugu; and Governor Bello’s alleged most favoured contractor, Idachaba Friday Abdullahi.

Secretary to the APC Presidential Campaign Council James Faleke, whose N50 million form was obtained on his behalf by the Kogi Elders Forum did not show up for the screening, and had opted out of the race.

Among these aspirants, Muritala Ajaka, who is the national deputy publicity secretary, is the most vilified. A cold war between him and the governor has snowballed into the open with his APC ward members suspending him last month. Not only that, he has been barred by a court from contesting the primary. His sin(s) was that he was using his influence as a member of the NWC to push for direct primary against the governor’s position of conducting the primaries through indirect mode.

Bello names preferred candidate as Dep. Gov, 7 others withdraw

Meanwhile few hours to the APC primary, which was held , yesterday, the Deputy Governor, Edward Onoja, and the Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello, Pharmacist Mohammed Abdulkareem Asuku, withdrew from the race.

This was announced at the stakeholders meeting of the party held on Thursday in Lokoja at the party’s secretariat.

The parley was hosted by Governor Bello, who unveiled his preferred candidate as the Auditor General of the state, Ahmed Usman Ododo.

Onoja and Asuku announced their withdrawal from the governorship race via their respective verified Facebook pages shortly after the meeting.

The deputy governor, who many had thought will naturally succeed Governor Bello before now, posted a cryptic message on Facebook, which reads: “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.”

On his part, Asuku, who was also seen as a frontrunner because of his closeness to the governor, posted: “Alhamdulillah! Alhamdulillah !!Alhamdulillah !!!

All praises and adoration are due to the most high God the greater of the entire universe and the sustainer of same who have safeguard my life and that of my immediate family and well wishers to witness this moment in my life. I sincerely appreciate His Excellency, my benefactor, for all that Allah has been using him to do in my life. As such, I hereby submit myself publicly to the decision taken today and I will forever live to remain loyal and dedicated to the decision of my party as I enjoin all my well wishers to work with us for our great party APC to become victorious in the November 11 Election.”

In a similar development, other aspirants like Mr. David Adebanji Jimoh; a former Commissioner for Finance, Asiwaju Ashiru Idris; Okala Yakubu, and Momoh Jubril have also withdree from the governorship race.

However, the chairman of the primary Election committee, and Zamfara State Governor, Mohammed Bello Matawale, said that all other aspirants who have not withdrawn from the race are free to participate in the primary was held across the state. The result was being awaited at the time of filing this report.

Marginalisation cries

There had been serious cries of marginalisation prior to the 2015 election by the Kogi Central and Kogi West people who were dominated by the Eastern flank since the creation of the state in 1991 as far as the Lugard House was concerned.

It was this agitation that made the Kogi West axis of the APC to team up in the party primary to support Yahaya Bello who is an Ebira man and who was seen as the youngest and most energetic among the aspirants, a development that made him to be the runner up to Prince Abubakar Audu.

With the unexpected death of Prince Abubakar Audu and the pronouncement of the court, Bello became the governor and his inauguration became the most celebrated in the history of the state as both Kogi West and Central saw him as the symbol of the power shift battle which has been running since the creation of the state on August 27, 1991.

The agitators are back again, asking Bello to toe the part of equity and allow power shift to the Western axis.

Indirect vs direct primary

A major issue in the APC is mode of primary. While the governor is for indirect, some stakeholders are for direct primary.

To get their favoured person elected as candidate, agitators for power shift, aggrieved APC group and other political parties have formed a coalition to fight Bello to the finish by backing a National Assembly member, Leke Abejide on the platform of the ADC. Leke’s entrance into the race changed the political permutations completely.

Leke who is the only person contesting on the platform the ADC is the Yagba House of Reps members who won re-election in February on the ground of superlative performance especially with regards to his Free education policy (running for five years now) in his Constituency which he extended this year to another Federal Constituency, Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu. The gesture also helped the ADC candidate, Arch. Idris Salman to capture Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency in the last House of Representatives election.

Abejide while picking his nomination form, said he was going into the governorship race to win as he was the symbol of the Coalition for power shift to Kogi West senatorial district.

Abejide said it was time that the Kogi West senatorial district had a taste of the number one seat in the state saying since the creation of the state over 32 years ago, the district has been continuously marginalized.

The federal lawmaker said the Coalition he represents is an amalgamation of various political parties including the ruling APC, intelligentsia, entrepreneurs, youths and women organizations who have come under one umbrella to ensure that someone from the West is elected governor.

As things stand, the Igala-dominated East may pick the PDP ticket, the Egbira-dominated Central may get the APC flag and the Okun dominated Western Senatorial axis may push through the ADC to make the November poll an exciting one.