The erstwhile Director-General of the Audu/Faleke Campaign Organization and former State Vice Chairman of the APC in Kogi State, Comrade Isah Daniel (Prof), as the Technical Strategist of the Usman Jibrin Campaign Organization is a great blessing and lucid indicator of victory ahead in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Kogi State.
Prof, as he is popularly known, hails from Anyigba in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.
His voyage in politics began over two decades ago but he came into the political limelight when the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was formed. Prof was a foundational member of the ACN.
Prof is a protege of the late political icon and two time governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu.
He was one of the foremost and astute leaders of the ACN with sterling leadership qualities. Prof’s scintillating leadership finesse in the ACN where he worked in collaboration with Hadi Ametuo was part of what attracted and stampeded the late Prince Audu into joining the ACN.
The defection of Prince Audu from the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to the ACN was never a mistake. It was a well calculated move. In the Kogi State chapter of the party, Prof was on ground and had worked hard to make the political landscape fertile for Audu to cultivate. It was an opportunity for Audu to contest on the platform of a new party to serve his people which he did when he contested in the 2011 gubernatorial election on the platform of the ACN.
Comrade Isah Daniel the strong pillar of the ACN then played a very crucial roles in the political processes that lead to the merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) June 21, 2013 with later James Ocholi SAN as a leader and funder of the CPC in Kogi state, Comrade Isah Daniel rolled then qualified him to be appointed as the Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress the platform that he also served as the Secretary General to the APC National Council for Kogi state election in 2015 general election under the Chairmanship of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of Niger state which gave victory to the party in the state and unfortunately fate played the smart ones via the death of political icon, Prince Abubakar Audu which lead to the emergence of Alhaji Yahaya Bello the decision took by the APC National headquarters.
Alhaji Yahaya Bello who never participated who worked tirelessly against his own party victory, emerged the biggest beneficiary of the same processes he worked against, despite played a crucial role against the victory recorded by the APC, Bello muscled his way through the leadership of Chief Odigie Oyegun the then National Chairman who then nominated the political betrayal as late political giant replacement, despite legal marathon between him and James Faleke as already a sitting governor he was able to manipulated the entire processes to his favour.
Instead of behaving as a politician governor Bello decided to have his own new political structures parallel to the already existing party structures that enthroned the victory for the APC against PDP. The new governor who is desperate to have everything all effort by the APC National Headquarters to reconcile the differences proved abortive with Bello continue displaying of arrogance toward late Prince Abubakar Audu political structure across the 21 local government.
With the case in court some loyalist of the APC who were deprived of the opportunity to participating fully in the activities of their own party were left stranded hence necessity of an alternative platform to enable them,test their popularity by contesting for some electing position into national and State legislative arms in just concluded general election were provided another friendly alternative which which gave birth to the journeyed into the African Democratic Congress ADC in an election marked one of the most corrupt and bloodletting election ever despite characterised with massive rigging as a political strategist. He was able to produce a federal law maker the person of Elder Leke Abejide who won House of Representative for of Yagba Federal Constituency on the platform of the ADC.
The pressure of journey backed home begun through the intervention of opinion moulders, political leaders and Kingmakers intervened and ensure his returned into his former political party which he was among the founders, All Progressives Congress APC .
According to a statement, the Admiral Usman Jibrin Campaign Organisation has announced the former Audu campaign DG to lead the apex body of the Usman Campaign Organisation, which will be chaired by the APC governorship aspirant himself, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin CFR.
A vastly experienced politician, Isah Daniel unarguably one of the most consistent politicians in the state, with him heading campaign organization is the rallying point of all shades of opinions among the progressives in Kogi State.
The constitution of these bodies marks the beginning of a full fledge battle for the APC governorship ticket campaign for the forthcoming gubernatorial election slated for November 18, 2019 in Kogi State.
– Simeon Ochimama, a political analyst, writes from Lokoja.
