Ahead of 2015 general elections, prominent members of the influential political group in Kogi State popularly referred to as Ibro Family because of their affiliation with the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, are reportedly making moves to join the newly registered All Progressive Congress (APC).
Though their god-father, Ibro, is still in Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) a good number of politicians within the Ibro Family have allegedly lost out in their respective local governments in the new ‘power arrangement’ that was engineered by incumbent governor, Captain Idris Wada.
Inspite of Wada’s repeated declaration of loyalty to Ibro, close observers opine that he is consciously building his one own independent political structure. Wada has tactically relegated key members of the Ibro Family while giving the excuse that he want to work mainly with ‘technocrats’. The party structure in most of the local governments have been hijacked from the Ibro Family. This might not be unconnected to the feeling in some quarters that Ibro is grooming someone else to take over from Wada in 2015.
In the Ebiraland, Hon Tom Ohikere, a former commissioner under Ibro is mobilizing other disenchanted Ibro Family members to APC. Ohikere has openly declared for APC while others will soon follow suit.
In Okunland, Chief Abiodun Ojo and a former acting governor in the state, Hon. Clarence Olafemi (a.k.a Obembe) are reportedly holding serious meetings with the APC leadership. These two used to be ‘ring leaders’ in the Ibro Family. Ojo and Olafemi allegedly worked for the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the last local government elections in the state. Former House of Representative member, Hon. Sam Aro and a former commissioner under Ibro, Chief T.J. Faniyi are expected to join the APC train anytime soon.
In Igalaland, former Ibro Family members reportedly meet regularly in Egume to fine tune modalities for joinng APC. The Egume meeting, under the aegis of PDP Integrity Group, is largely attended by prominent Ibro Family members many of whom are still careful to associate with APC openly. A former Chairman of PDP is reported to be the arrow head of the group. Aside this group, the political support base of Alhaji Jibrin Isah Echocho are being wooed to join APC but the move will be suspended until the determination of his pending lawsuit at the Supreme Court. Echocho is being marketed by some influential APC leaders to pick APC’s governorship ticket come December 2015 while Prince Abubakar Audu will be persuaded to go to Senate.
