The race for the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State is not only between an incumbent and a newcomer but between candidates of a minority and majority ethnic extraction.
Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Kogi State, the two leading political parties- the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – have produced their candidates.
Although candidates of other political parties have emerged, pundits believe that the contest would be between candidates of the two leading political parties.
The incumbent Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State secured the APC governorship ticket to pursue his second term ambition in office.
Reacting, the party’s flag bearer, Engr. Wada described his victory as a long-awaited dream come true.
He expressed his readiness to reconcile with all those that are aggrieved with the outcome of the exercise to enable the party win in the forthcoming election.
Governor Bello, who is the flag bearer of the ruling APC, enjoys the power of incumbency and that is perhaps, one of his strengths in the forthcoming election.
As a sitting governor, Bello wields enormous powers which he could harness to advance his political cause as far as the forthcoming gubernatorial election is concerned.
Another factor that may work for Bello’s victory is that he has gotten the financial wherewithal to prosecute his political ambition given the fact that finance remains a critical factor in our nation’s political environment.
As flag bearer of the ruling party, Bello would equally be counting on federal might and support from his fellow APC governors who would want to see that one of their own comes out victorious in the contest.
Another strength of Bello is that he will be counting on retinue of his political appointees, support groups, state/National Assembly lawmakers and other political stakeholders who would be working across the state to brighten his chances.
The outcome of the last election in which the APC won the presidential election, clinched seven of the nine House of Representatives’ seats, two of the three senatorial seats and won all the 25 state assembly seats, may have given some ray of hope to the governor as all these would likely join forces to work for his second term ambition.
Besides, Bello appeared to have made great inroads into Igalaland through the influence of his Chief of Staff, Edward Onoja, coupled with the goodwill he enjoys from the traditional institution in Igalaland.
Bello would also be counting on his kinsmen from Kogi Central Senatorial District, who would unarguably give him an overwhelming support.
One of the low points of the governor is that he is of the minority Ebira ethnic extraction and would be facing the PDP’s candidate who is from the majority Igala ethnic group.
In Kogi, ethnicity plays significant role in political decisions made by the electorate. This is more so that the Igala who lost grip of power in 2015, following the death of late former Governor Abubakar Audu, are now determined to have power back. That notwithstanding, Bello will most likely pick his Chief of Staff, Edward Onoja-an Igala- as his running mate and that will boost his support base in Kogi East.
Although, the governor has been able to address the issue of unpaid salaries and pensions to great extent, the negative perception formed over time by the state’s workforce and generality of the people on the issue of payments could be one of his weak points in the forthcoming election.
Besides, the issue of alleged poor performance could also be one of his weaknesses ahead of the election.
One of the strengths of Engineer Wada is that, he is from the majority Igala ethnic group which has the largest voting population in the state and this could be an advantage to him.
Apart from being an Igala, he is also from Dekina Local Government Area which has the largest voting strength amongst the 21 local governments of the state.
Engineer Wada is a younger brother of former Governor Idris Wada and also, a son-in-law to former Governor Ibrahim Idris having married one of his daughters.
Given this scenario, Engr. Wada would most likely enjoy the support of these former governors in the forthcoming election.
The PDP’s flag bearer is also said to be having strong grassroots support base and financial wherewithal to prosecute his governorship ambition.
Wada is most likely to pick his running mate from Kogi West Senatorial District and that would be an added advantage for him in terms of political support from that district.
Perhaps, one of the weaknesses of Engineer Wada, is the fact that he is being viewed as a greenhorn in politics having spent most of his life in the maritime sector.
Another odd against Wada is that he would most likely secure fewer votes within the Kogi Central Senatorial District given the fact that one of their own is in the governorship race.
Some of the aspirants that contested the primary election with Wada were aggrieved with the outcome of the exercise and this could be an odd against him if he is unable to reconcile with them to work with him for eventual victory at the November poll.
As it stands, the contest between Bello and Wada would be a fierce one, a battle between candidates from a minority and majority ethnic groups and green horn and an upbeat politician. But what counts is the votes which is very close to call now.
Credit: Daily Trust
