The major political crisis in Kogi state regularly happened during governorship election on corrosive signatures which foundational architectural structures began when the Fourth Republic commenced in 1999.
While some states under federations of Nigeria have defined orderliness in sharing power among the comprising three senatorial districts, the patterns where singular tribe’s possessing reserved population strength is dominating lesser tribes in claiming governor’s position as tribal heritage, is mostly common among the 6 states within the North Central geopolitical zone.
Therefore is it really sensible as well reasonable under democratic system of governance, for one particular tribe’s to invariably gripping unto state’s power basking on superiority of its population invariably converted to electoral strength? Without gainsaying, the case study depicted causes of political crisis in Kogi state. It requires readdressing through lawful reforms legalising power rotation among its three constitutionally recognised senatorial districts that, shall be bounding on governorship election.
Pursuant the National Assembly has necessity to redesign architecture of Nigeria’s democracy, to outrightly respect inclusivity of wise management of diversity and multiculturalism syndrome that will equalise majority and minority chances to occupy governor positions in each states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through creating channel for power sharing based on senatorial districts. The same philosophy deserves eligibility and automaticity criteria necessarily desiderata when President’s election is on the table.
Recalling that Dist. Sen. Patrick Abba Moro from Benue state moved motion on power rotation during the 9th Assembly. But could not scaled passed first reading on the floor of the red chambers been unpopular ideas among the Senators, who as law makers were expected to exploits it advantage in rebuilding the country to a nation, and could be alternative solution’s to insecurity rampaging Nigeria.
Whereas journeying into history of governorship election in Kogi state particularly from 1999, the direct link to the mechanism glorifying domination of tribal population methodology as only measurements of where state governor’s will continuously comes from was unarguably started by the Kogi East senatorial district. And consistently from thence, struggling for power shifts made governorship election in every political dispensationalism very tense and hostile. For the record, Kogi people are not unaware that sponsoring thuggery, proliferating arms struggles, manipulation of votes cast and orchestrating violence during election period, are the trademarks characterising vessels determining who becomes governor.
So, it is not as if it was uhuru from 1992 to 2016. And now that power has shifted to Kogi Central senatorial district, any indigenous Kogi person’s unnecessarily criticizing and discrediting the system as if unprecedented is nothing than being political hypocrites. Despite this excuses, Kogi state has reached an edge where all the political players should honestly concord that it cannot continues like this considering radicality of collective participation, equal senses of belongingness, sustenance of mutual co-existence and harmony, improve political stability and also, promotion of security improvement.
On this note, it is preferably objectives for the political players across all the political parties to rally colourful support to the government’s of the day. To enabling delivering of good governance and champion correction to random order of measuring where governor elect will come. Rather than committing to do or die mentality fighting for removal of Governor Usman Ododo, who kick-started his administration’s with people oriented strategy qualifying skillful application of philosophy of human resources management.
In drawing the curtains, Kogi people needed to understand that they are converged in one state not minding their variable languages and cultures for a genuine purpose to co-exist as one undivided entity. Thus the responsibility is onus on them to erect durable platform where everyone across its divide will be entitled to equal chances to govern the state.
– Segun Babayomi Amupitan, ACIHRM, CPM PgD-HRM, is the incumbent National President of the North Central and Abuja Youth Development Association (NAYODA) and pioneer National President Okun Youth Development Association (OYDA).
