In an bid to put an end to the ethnic divisions that characterized the 2023 Governorship election, prominent stakeholders in Kogi State politics are canvassing for a rotational governorship among the three senatorial districts in the state.
They made their positions known in Lokoja during the 2024 Nigeria Post newspaper lecture and awards to mark 33 years of the creation of Kogi State with the theme “sustaining Kogi’s unbroken unity, prospects and possibilities, this house must not fall”.
The immediate past Speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon Mathew Kolawole opined that rotational governorship in Kogi will help solve the ethnic tussles among the various tribes during elections.
According to the two time lawmaker, “God has made Kogites to be one, and we have no place to run to or run away from ourselves. As long as we are all under the umbrella of Kogi State, either you are Igala, Ebira, Okun, Kakanga, or Hausa, our main focus should be the development of our State.
“Kogi State must be together under the unity of purpose. It has been on recorded that during election, the State is usually divided on ethnic lines which has stagnated the development of Kogi State 33 years after it was created.
“All stakeholders should come out and speak in one voices to shun the idea of sentiment, nepotism, and let move together as one big family. Kogi State is bigger than all of us.
“To avoid a repeat of what happened during the last governorship election in Kogi State, I want to again re-echo rotational governance. When we have a rotational governance for example, if Igalas, Ebiras has done some years, the next should come from the next Senatorial District.
“There won’t be rancour between two ethnic group. If it is zoned to Kogi West for example, the people will know that this is just purely for them. That means they will go back home and fight it within themselves. The fight will only be limited to Kogi West.
“It is for them to go to East, Central and seek for support. Without rotational governance, it brings ethnic problem like what the State witnessed during the last Governorship election. It is no longer need that the Igala, Ebira, Okun came up with their own agenda, which is a big threat to our democracy.
“With the judgment of supreme Court, let all of us come together to support Alhaji Usman Ododo for his first and second tenure. When he finishes his two terms, let the power be rotated to Kogi West generally. After Kogi West finishes their own tenure, the next will be between the Ebira and the Igalas.
“By so doing, a particular ethnic groups knows that this is coming to us and they will go home to fight within themselves. The leadership of that ethnic group will come out plain and say this is what they are presenting to the People. All they need to do is to solicit for support and votes from other ethnic groups. There will be no more rancour between two ethnic groups. That is the unity we are talking about”.
Aligning his voice for rotational governance in Kogi State, a former member in the State House of Assembly, Barr. Cosmos Atabor said “There is development in unity. The more we continue to fight ourselves because of political positions, the more we retrogress as a State.
“Irrespective of our ethnic groups in Kogi State, we are all one. The founding fathers of Kogi State did not find our State for us to be fighting ourselves. That is why we are emphasizing on unity to tap into the beautiful natural resources in our State.
“It is on this note am also clamouring for rotational governance in Kogi State. Rotational governance in a State like Kogi that is highly heterogenous will bring positive vibes in our land. It will ensure that we do not fight ourselves or kill each other in every election.
“The fact that you are aware that in the next eight years as the case may be is the turn of the Okuns, the Igala’s and Ebira’s will not fight themselves. Rather, they will look for the best person in Okun land to come and take over the mantle of leadership.
“I am a proponent of rotational governance which I strongly believe will bring an everlasting peace and unity in Kogi. We are lucky that Kogi Is 33 years. There is a popular saying that a fool at 40 is a fool forever. Thank God we are not 40 yet.
“Kogi is stumbling and behaving like a toddler at 33. It is time for us to start acting as adults and think about the development of Kogi State. The development of the People, Local Government, should be our top priority, rather than fighting ourselves for who becomes Governor every four years”.
On his part, the Chief Medical Director, Reference Hospital Okene, Professor Solomon Avidime who is from the Central Senatorial district of the State emphasized on unity in diversity among the people.
While expressing hope for a better future for Kogi State despite the presence of diverse ethnic groups, Prof. Avidime said “I can tell you that the prospect is very bright looking at our focus for Kogi State. We should be talking about uniting the People which is the base line for development”.
