A call has gone to all political parties to ensure their 2023 governorship candidates are from Okun land, in the western senatorial district of Kogi state.
A group, Okun4Governor Strategy Committee, made the call at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.
Spokesperson for the group, Prof. Mike Ikupolati, said the people of Okunland shall remain resolute on this agitation until their quest receives the attention it richly deserves, especially by leaders of the State from all persuasions – political, religious, community and opinion leaders.
“It is imperative to put into perspective that the Igalas of the Eastern flank of Kogi State has held on to power for about 16 years with Late Prince Abubakar Audu, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris (Ibro) and Capt. Idris Ichala Wada as Governors of the State while Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello is presently occupying Lugard House in his second term.
“This implies that the east has had 16 years of rule and the central 8 years, with Kogi West having no appearances at the Lugard House in Lokoja.
“We hereby bring to the attention of all and sundry that Late Alhaji Adamu Attah from Kogi Central was also Governor of old Kwara State from 1979 to 1983 making it 12 years of rule by the Central zone of Kogi State.
“If equity and fairness are virtues to be promoted to deepen our democracy and promote inclusiveness, it will be natural for an Okun person by to be the next Governor of Kogi State.
“Unfortunately, politics and political reasoning are encapsulated in the saying that; ‘power is not given but taken’. We are therefore determined as good people of Okunland to demand power,” he said.
The group submitted that demand for power shift from the Central to Okunland, Kogi West in 2023 is not born out of a parochialism of selfish motives but a genuine demand borne out of their divine right to rule and the need for governance in the state to be more inclusive, participatory, fair and just to all senatorial districts.
They urged all political parties to demonstrate the ideals of equity, fairness and justice by zoning their gubernatorial tickets to Kogi West.
“We must re-emphasize it that we are truly taking an apolitical stance here as we would like to see all parties in the state such as APC, PDP, Labour Party, SDP, ADC etc select their governorship candidates from Okunland.
“We not merely admit but insist that, there must be fairness on the part of political leaders, that they must keenly perceive their own duties as well as the right of others; but we also insist that the people can do nothing unless they not merely have, but exercise their full God-given rights.
“We have heard it mooted at some wrong quarters ‘the 16-16-16 rule’ proposed for the state instead of in ‘the 8-8-8 rational and logical rule’ It is quite inordinate an ambition at this time, to be promoting irregularities, unfairness and injustice in the state. The world is moving towards rationalism – holding that reality itself has inherent logical structure by which we judge fairness and equity.”
The group said it will take whatever steps that are necessary to ensure the realisation of this objective.
