Notable stakeholders in the major political parties in Kogi State have started moving in droves to other political parties in the wake of preparations for the November 2019 gubernatorial election in Kogi State owing to what they term “overbearing influences of fomer governors to force their children on the parties”.
It’s no longer news that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state is deeply enmeshed in almost irretrievable fragmentations as many of their aspirants have begun to openly opt for other political parties like the Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance (APDA).
Disgruntled by the fall out of the recently concluded state congress of the party, which many of the party’s governorship aspirants have referred to as a charade and a product of dubious manipulation of the former governors of the party, the aggrieved party stalwarts allege that that exercise was aimed at skewing the forthcoming primaries in favour of their protégées’ in the race.
According to them, the selfish acts of the former leaders of their respective political parties, especially the PDP, who have severally and openly demonstrated that no other Kogi State indigene is worthy to be entrusted with the Kogi top job, have finally prepared a permanent ‘resting place’ for the once-upon-a-time invincible party in the state. The PDP leaders have further been accused of manipulating all aspirants for their children and other family members. For instance, former National Chairman of the party, Senator Amodu Ali has been accused of masquerading like a genuine elder statesman before all aspirants from Kogi East and alleged to have been collecting funds from them in the name of the so-called Kogi East Elders Council and later reportedly produced own son; all in the name of pocketing Kogi State, they said.
Meanwhile, similar fate is regrettably befalling the All Progressives Congress (APC)as sons of former governor of the state are falling head over heels in an attempt to outdo one another in the jostle for the occupancy of the governorship office.
That not enough, the dilemma the party has found itself on the choice of the mode of primaries to adopt for the party in the coming election is other keg of gun powder that the party in the state is sitting on and ready to explode in no time from now.
Another crack in the wall of the APC is the grievance of the majority of her teaming members and executives who believe that Hadi Ametuo led faction of the party has been sold out to Bello and that the entire Igala aspirants are still foolishly hoping to get the ticket, instead of joining forces with a neural party early enough in order to prove to the whole world that they have followers that can enable them win election and not the party. This has immeasurably added to the clout that Governor Yahaya Bello carries at the moment and has also given him a greater edge over all the other aspirants today.
One other major issue of concern raised by most of the fleeing aspirants of these frontline political parties is the exorbitant rate of participating in this whole process as an aspirant. From the high cost of purchasing their Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms, to the highly monetised nature of conducting primaries where delegates are to be paid heavily on a highest- bidder basis.
However, political parties like the APDA, for instance, still have the rate of purchase of Forms pegged at just Five Million Naira (5, 000, 000, 00) only, at the material time that parties like the PDP are extorting close to N25 million from their aspirants. APC is also culpable in this regard. With these two parties’ Forms purchase rates, many popular political leaders are considering picking the Forms of parties like the APDA and saving the remainder of the money that their former political party would have gulped from them to run their campaigns successfully and square up with any other candidate that would emerge from the other parties.
The party (APDA), has also maintained exceptionally impeccable internal democratic practices that have seen successful primaries conducted in the time past without the obvious eruptive aftermath noticeable in other political parties. The party has also been loudly spoken of as being an example of a political party that upholds equal justice for all. These have been the selling points for the party which, many say, is the reason so many of the aspirants are finding their way there.
Some aspirants have also brought religious intolerance disposition of some notable party leaders in the State into the political narrative, complaining bitterly that some key leaders in most of the prominent parties have even vowed that they would never allow any christian to be governor of the same Kogi State where Christians are even arguably the majority.
But one thing some aspirants fail to understand is that they want to be governor without actually investing in any political party early enough to have firm grip on the party structures. They like rushing at election times to obtain party ticket which makes them very gullible in the hands of political jobbers because they are not on ground politically. The question to ask is that, is it possible that someone would build a party and would not be allowed to determine the pace? The answer is always in the negative.
On the other hand, many political watchers hold the opinion that all the internal wrangling in these major political parties where political godfathers are imposing their children on the parties is preparing a veritable ground for governor Bello to have a hitch-free cruise to victory come November. They also assert that some moves by Governor Bello in encouraging mass participation of the youthful population in his government and the show of religious tolerance he has demonstrated by laying foundation for the building of Chapel of Peace in Lugard House has also begun to endear the people of Kogi State to him. This, many people say shows that Bello isn’t a fanatical leader, unlike the previous governors who usually looked the other way in their time on matters of religion other than their own.
An aggrieved popular stakeholder who recently dumped the PDP openly declared that “Kogi State is not for sale” and as such, all the manipulation of the past leaders who have amassed ill-gotten wealth would come to a colossal waste when the people of the state would have better options other than their children in the coming governorship election in the state.
In the final analysis, all fingers remain crossed and more political drama is expected to play out in Kogi State as the race to the November governorship election hots up.
– Ahmed Usman writes from Ankpa, Kogi Stage.
