By Danfulani Lukman Ohinoyi
When a politician has something meaningful to show the people, the best way to campaign is to talk about what he has done, what he intends to do and how his leadership can make life better for the people. But when a campaign becomes dominated by insults, name-calling and personal attacks, one cannot help but ask: Where are the ideas? Where are the achievements? And what exactly is being offered to the people?
There is a popular saying that when sense is absent, nonsense becomes the only available trade. Sadly, this appears to describe the campaign strategy of some opposition voices who seem more interested in attacking Alhaji Yahaya Bello than presenting a convincing alternative for the people of Kogi Central.
Politics should not be about who can insult the most or spread the loudest propaganda. It should be about who has done something meaningful, who understands the needs of the people and who possesses the capacity to deliver effective representation.
For eight years, Yahaya Bello governed Kogi State. His administration left behind projects, policies and interventions that his supporters continue to present as evidence of his leadership and commitment to development. Today, as he seeks to represent Kogi Central in the Senate, his campaign has the opportunity to draw from that experience and record.
Across the five local government areas of Kogi Central, Okene, Adavi, Okehi, Ajaokuta and Ogori-Magongo, the Bello administration undertook various projects and interventions across different sectors.
Some of the notable projects and initiatives include:
- Healthcare: The construction of the 300-bed Reference Hospital in Okene and the Muhammadu Buhari Mother and Child Hospital in Iruvichonomi, Adavi, and hundreds of primary health care clinics, aimed at improving access to quality healthcare services.
- Education: The establishment of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara, bringing university education closer to the people, alongside the development of GYB Model Science Secondary Schools and construction of hundreds of primary and secondary schools.
- Road Infrastructure: Road construction and rehabilitation projects across communities, including the Agassa–Ahache–Upogoro, Ogaminana–Ebogogo, Itape–Eika–Kuroko and Obehira–Ihima–Obangede corridors and many other roads across the Central Senatorial District.
- Traditional Institution: The construction of the new Ohinoyi of Ebiraland’s Palace, an important traditional and cultural landmark, and installation and grading of 1000 of traditional rulers in Kogi Central.
- Revenue Generation: The establishment of the Kogi State Revenue House to strengthen revenue administration, block leakages and improve the state’s internally generated revenue.
- Security: Interventions aimed at strengthening the state’s security architecture and improving community-level security responses.
- Women and Youth Inclusion: Increased opportunities for women and young people to participate in governance, political appointments and other activities.
These are the kinds of issues people can discuss, visit, assess and ask questions about. They directly concern the lives of ordinary people: the student seeking quality education, the mother in need of medical attention, the farmer who requires good roads to transport agricultural produce, the trader who wants a thriving economy and the young person searching for opportunities.
The argument is simple: leadership should be judged by its impact on the people, not by the number of insults exchanged on social media.
It is easy to criticise another politician. It is much more difficult to present your own achievements and explain what you have done with the opportunities and responsibilities entrusted to you.
Those who constantly attack Bello should tell the people what they have achieved in the offices they have occupied. What projects did they attract? How many communities benefited from their representation? What meaningful contributions have they made to the lives of ordinary people?
If Bello’s achievements are not good enough, let the opposition present something better. If they disagree with his record, let them challenge it with facts, figures and verifiable evidence. The people deserve an honest comparison, not endless name-calling, lies and fabrication, and political mudslinging.
A political campaign is neither a comedy show nor an insult competition. It is an opportunity for candidates to market their records, explain their plans and convince voters why they deserve their mandate.
Unfortunately, when personal attacks become the central message of a campaign, it raises legitimate questions about the strength of the alternative being presented. The people deserve more than political noise; they deserve substance, vision and credible development plans.
The people of Kogi Central have more pressing concerns than endless political quarrels. They want better roads, improved healthcare, quality education, employment opportunities, industrial development, greater federal presence and effective representation.
A senator is expected to sponsor bills, move motions, influence national policies, attract federal projects and speak firmly for the interests of constituents.
This is why the conversation surrounding Yahaya Bello’s senatorial ambition should go beyond political sentiments. His eight years as governor provide experience and a record that voters can examine, while his proposed plans for the Senate should equally be judged on their practicality and capacity to address the needs of the district.
The opposition also has every opportunity to present its own agenda. However, it must understand that abusing one candidate does not automatically make another candidate better. Political relevance cannot be established through insults, just as credibility cannot be built on propaganda.
At the end of the day, the market woman, farmer, civil servant, student, artisan and unemployed graduate want answers. They want to know who can deliver, who has the necessary experience and who can make a meaningful difference in their lives.
The people are not asking for the best political insulter; they are asking for the best representative.
Yahaya Bello has chosen to place his years in government and the projects associated with his administration at the centre of his political argument. Those seeking to challenge him should come forward with their own records, ideas and development plans.
Because when the campaign is over and the political noise dies down, it is not the insults that the people will remember. It is what was done, what was promised and what can realistically be delivered.
Kogi Central deserves a campaign of ideas, a contest of records and a future built on development, not a marketplace of insults, lies, and propaganda.
– Comrade Danfulani Lukman Ohinoyi writes from Okene.
