A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State and former member of the State Assembly, Hon. Abdulmumini Ibrahim has lamented the continued sidelining of Ankpa local government area of the state by the ruling party.
In an exclusive chat with Kogi Reports on Thursday, the former lawmaker noted that Ankpa has always delivered bloc votes for APC at the polls but never considered for relevant political patronage.
The embittered party chieftain said Ankpa deserved the ministerial slot more than any area going by the sacrifice of the leaders and people for the ruling party.
He described the continued marginalization of Ankpa LGA as height of injustice.
“I am not speaking for any group but in my personal capacity as an indigene. The records are there. In 2015, Ankpa gave more votes to President Muhmmadu Buhari and the Kogi governorship ticket. Despite this, when it comes to political benefits, the state and federal governments sidelined us.
“Is that Ankpa people are not loved in the APC? We know what we went through to convince our people to keep faith with APC. We braved the odds at each election, surmounted obstacles but we got nothing in return. No new infrastructures, neither did we get tangible political patronage.
“Check existing infrastructures across Ankpa today and you will realise that less than five percent of it came to our land since creation of Kogi state. People are beginning to feel we got better dividends in the old Kwara and Benue states,” he said.
Hon. Abdulmumini called of the federal and Kogi state governments to stop treating Ankpa people as orphans and insisted that the Kogi ministerial slot should have been filled by Ankpa.
“This is not about mere sentiments but reality. We celebrate what other local governments get from governments are patronage but we cannot continue to keep quiet over the glaring marginalization of Ankpa.
“Even when some of our leaders like Col. Zakari and Abu Jibril died, there was recognition whatsoever from government in way of condolence to show they were stakeholders in the party.
“We expected APC to nominate someone from Ankpa as deputy governorship candidate for November 11, 2023 election in Kogi state but we were sidelined again for the same LGA where the current ministerial nominee hails from.
“The last time a national appointment came to Kogi East, it went to Dekina when Hajia Salamatu Baiwa held the APC National Woman Leader position. Also, the last and incumbent Senator for Kogi East is not from Ankpa. What have we done wrong?
“They are always coming to us or votes but continued to rubbish us. What do we tell our long-suffering people who have endured years of unfulfilled promises?
“In the coming election, Ankpa will speak in unity,” he warned.
The former lawmaker called on President Bola Tinubu , Governor Yahaya Bello and other relevant stakeholders to look the way of Ankpa as the local government is too large to be neglected.
He called on stakeholders from Ankpa who are “running around to endorse different governorship candidates to have a rethink and consider the people’s plight.
Abdulmumini said he is ready to embark on a one-man protest to resist the continued injustice against Ankpa.
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