Baring last minutes change, stakeholders across the western senatorial district of Kogi state have indicated interest to all join the political summit coming up this weekend at Kabba.
The summit has been expanded to accommodate the three federal constituencies in the senatorial district. The need, according to the organizers, for the summit is informed by the desirability of the various ethnic groups in Kogi West to speak with one voice during the forthcoming governorship election in the state.
Speaking on the latest development, the desk officer for the summit, Miss Obanure Ibukun Toluwase said the decision was taken after due consultation and guidance from stakeholders, prominent leaders and traditional leaders of the various tribes of the three federal constituencies in Kogi West senatorial district.
Miss Toluwase said the various strata of leadership of these ethnic groups are being duly invited and carried along accordingly.
“Our activities and planning have been guided by understanding of the peculiarity of our terrain, diversity and political exposure of our people, the reality of the strata of leadership and responsibility across Kogi West. The expansion of the scope of the summit is a deliberate decision taken to accommodate the three federal constituencies in Kogi West. This is important because we share the same political, tribal and geographical fate. This reality and need for inclusive political participation and striking necessary alliances towards achieving our objectives informed the very essence of the expansion,” she said.
Stakeholders across the three federal constituencies in Kogi West have also lend their voices in agreement with the expansion of the scope of the summit.
Alh Yusuf Alhassan Tawari, the head of the Tawari chiefdom in Kogi local government area, decried consistent act of excluding Lokoja/Koto federal consituency in every political move made by Okun people as a strategy that is divisive and needless. He is of the belief that the idea reduces the bargaining capacity and numerical strength of Kogi West in political considerations.
He is hopeful that the summit will signal a return to the colonial era of sound political alliance across Kogi West.
Chief Jibril Yusuf, a prominent political leader from the Yagba axis of Okunland, described the idea as novel and urgently required to form necessary western alliance that will benefit the senatorial district.
Chief Yusuf, a 2007 senatorial aspirant and prominent Okun leader, said the people of Kogi West should see this as a golden opportunity to begin a new political marriage that will produce giant results.
Several other stakeholders have continued to welcome the idea and plead that delegates to the summit see this opportunity as golden and be patriotic in their contributions and suggestions.
According to the agenda of the summit made available to the press by the summit group during the pre-summit press press briefing, the programme is expected to start by 10 am. The event shall accommodate a total of thirteen keynote presenters, guest speaker and goodwill messages.
The agenda circulated to pressmen present also suggests that there shall be an hour question and answer session and communique drafting session.
The report named Professor Rotimi Ajayi, renowned Professor of Political science, Dean faculty of Social Sciences at Federal University Lokoja and former Vice Chancellor, Landmark University as the guest Speaker for the event.
Among the keynote presenters are Dr Tunde Arosanyin, Erelu Ronke Bello PhD, HRH Alh Yusuf Alhassan Tawari, Arc Salman Idris among others.
