The Kogi Central and West for Equity, Justice and Fairness Forum was created as a social vehicle of public interest focused on political power balance and good governance within Kogi State.
The membership was carefully selected, well constituted to reflect membership in proportionality of the two Senatorial District. Thus, the forum was created with mutual understanding based on the existing cordial relationships between the old Kabba Province for which the present Kogi West and Kogi Central had long co-existed for socio-economic and political relationship; long enough to cherish our collective values over and above our individual personal interests.
The integrity and functionality of this group had never be in doubt and it will never be allowed to be tarnished on account of the present unscrupulous and unwarranted publication of something that at best, is not more than an internal memo that was meant to assist the kogi west mandate for the 2023 gubernatorial election.
A large number of people from everywhere have been wondering how the assessment done by the body at its last meeting went awry, eliciting some unpalatable reactions and comments.
The intention of the Forum to assessing the three candidates from Kogi West was born out of good faith. Ever since that was done, there has been no peace either on the WhatsApp or physically among us as friends, colleagues or whatever, there is therefore and urgent need to set the record straight
There is no doubting the fact that certain things were wrongly done or not properly done which also brought about the unpalatable result for the following reasons:
i. The result of the assessment as surprising as it is, was meant to be kept with the Forum until it was to be compared with the positions of other forums. It was not to be made public until it would be possible to hold a joint press statement.
However, soon as members of the Forum adjourn the day’s meeting, an item of the agenda of the meeting was hijacked, fabricated and exposed to the public by way of WhatApp and other social mass media.
Hence, what those desperate fellows exposed to the public could not be said to have represented the final account of the assessment done only by 29 people at the meeting.
It was as such not the final resolution of the forum that was taken to the social media by some unauthorized people.
According to David Easton, politic is the authoritative allocation of value. We are of the opinion that virtue should guide this value in our political thinking.
Therefore, we must have a rethink in our politics and leadership Kogi West, and in the State as a whole. Hence, there is no way we as elders and enlightened eminent in the forum are going to make publication such as this without putting the other two parties on notice as working partners in the course of our struggles.
By this, we admonish all political players in Kogi State to be mindful of their thoughts, actions and inactions as we keenly search for a reliable and credible leader who will salvage our precarious situation and move our dear State forward in the trajectory of peace and progress.
Finally, we wish to state categorically that,
Any decision to endorse a consensus candidate exclusively by the forum is very unlikely and absurd to the extent that, the Kogi Central and West Equity, Justice and Fairness Forum has no such power for endorsement, save in whatever candidate presented to the central by the Kogi West Elders Forum for adoption.
Hence, the publication of the said endorsement is one with no iota of truth, and is nothing but the handiwork of desperate politicians who are out to gain a cheap political popularity using the forum.
Therefore, while dissociating from this self-served publication, the Forum regrettably apologise to our numerous audience across the State from Kogi Central and are enjoined to keep calm and remain resolute to keep up with our struggles until we achieve our mandate come 2023 gubernatorial election
God Bless Kogi State and Nigeria
Signed:
Chief J.O. Yusuf
Co-Chairman, Kogi Central and West Equity, Justice and Fairness Forum
