The philosophy of the proponents of democracy which placed victory in democractic setting to the majority as sacrosanct is what would play out in Kogi governorship election on November 16, 2019.
Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s statement that the “APC campaign Council under his Chairmanship was coming to nail the PDP finally in Kogi”, was nonetheless, the biggest joker of the century coming from a man who knows nothing about Kogi politics.
The statement shows El-Rufai has been living a deceptive impression of what he thinks of Kogi and its electorate.
The race is between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with other smaller political parties warming the political space.
The message to Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and Chairman of APC governorship Campaign Council in Kogi State is simple; that Kogi State is no battle ground for anybody. Between Yahaya Bello of APC and Engr. Musa Wada of PDP, electorate would vote PDP which remains the choice against APC’s Bello. In this case, the majority of electorate would file out on election day to vote the Peoples Democratic Party candidate and there is no magic from any quarters that can alter this position for now.
It is better that the Kaduna Governor who is a colleague of Yahaya Bello is probably coming to the state for the first time. This would afford El-Rufai to ask questions on infrastructure or anything near development in practical terms which Bello claims to have put in place in barely four years.
Since the Kaduna Governor is not visiting Kogi State privately where he would be entertained with coffee and tea in Lugard House and leave for Kaduna few moments after, Kogites believes that he would go places with his host in the course of the electioneering campaign. It therefore, means, he will observe things personally while in his vehicle which passes through a tortuous failed State road network.
Unfortunately, though, it will be pretty difficult for El-Rufai to market APC’s candidate given the fact that he won’t see anything to use as campaign bait. But for the fact that he might be trying to save the APC from shame as a party man, he may begin to resort to taking the “counsel of Ahitophel” from those feeding from the corridors of Lugard House who wouldn’t want to lose the election despite the bad outing of their principal.
At that point, therefore, there would be a clash of peoples will with the will of the few and their party which has failed woefully with a possible casualties which would not be in the interest of democracy.
Good people of Kogi State understands that when the political situation becomes very disfavourable to APC, shrewdness and trickery is needed to be brought to bear, but, the people of Kogi who the onus lies to decide would resist anything rigging and brigandage.
When El-Rufai visits, he should ask his colleague, Yahaya Bello how he managed the state in the areas of health, education, road infrastructure, agriculture, water science and technology, how he decimated the Igala majority in state civil service, the true condition of Kogi State civil service, special schemes for the people and so forth bearing in mind that close to over N478 billion was released to the state in barely four years.
Moreso, El-Rufai is coming to Kogi to grab votes for Bello now that the opportunity afforded the him has been abused.
Where was Nasir El-Rufai who is believed to be an “amicus curiae” of the Presidency apart from being a party man when Kogi APC was engrossed in leadership crisis between Yahaya Bello and Audu/Faleke group?
Where was El-Rufai when Kogites were shouting of non performance by the APC led government in Kogi State?
Where was El-Rufai when APC governorship aspirants were openly denied justice and their complaints and petition to the National Working Committee of APC described as ‘cacophony of the market noise?”
APC’s coffin would be nailed finally on November 16, 2019 by the grace of God.
– Samson Atekojo Usman is the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity of Ujache Igala Association.
