Kogi State governor, Idris Wada has a testy battle ahead. It is the battle to retain his seat and win reelection. Wada has fought a long way to come this far. First was the battle within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for its governorship ticket. His challenger, Jibril Isah, popularly known as Echocho, won the initial ticket. But forces in the party led by immediate past governor, Ibrahim Idris, conducted a fresh primary won by Wada.
Echocho, rich and popular, was irked. He took the case to court and fought tooth and nail. He pursued the case to the Supreme Court, which affirmed Wada’s candidacy on February 21. Though the governor won at the apex court, he has tougher battles ahead of his reelection bid in 2015.
His main challenge will be galvanising every PDP member to support his ambition. His victory in 2011 at the poll and the Supreme Court’s affirmation of his candidacy has fragmented the party. The PDP in Kogi today has so many disgruntled and disenchanted members.
The unending Echocho’s aura
Leading the pack is Echocho, who won the January 9 2011 primary of the PDP at the Lokoja Township stadium. He was set to represent the party at the April 26, 2011 general election until the Appeal Court ruled that the tenure of five governors including Kogi had not expired. This forced the postponement of the gubernatorial election in the state and four others.
Rather than sticking with its elected candidate, the PDP went ahead to conduct a fresh primary on December 3 2011, where Wada emerged. Echocho is particularly bitter he was ditched for Wada after winning the initial primary. Several reconciliation attempts from the National Secretariat of the PDP to assuage him have failed, fuelling talks that he might be bidding time to take his pound of flesh.
He is popular at the grassroots and said to be generous, but fiercely independent-minded. Sources said his independent streak was a major reason why the godfathers dumped him for Wada. But his influence in the party has remained unwavering. Many members keep flooding to his side, a development said to have been so because of Wada’s inability to ‘empower’ them.
Many party chieftains, it is learnt, are feeling alienated by Wada and have vowed to work against his second term bid. In contrast, they keep finding listening ears in Echocho and comforting shoulders from him. Aware of his unflinching supports within the PDP, the governor last February appealed to Echocho not to leave the party. He called on him and other disgruntled members to work with him in moving the state forward.
The long judicial battle to affirm his candidacy, many said, has drained the governor’s armory. It also left the party bloodied and weakened. The perceived non-performance has further compounded his many battles on the road to reelection. Besides, sources said he has fallen out with his political godfather and predecessor, Ibrahim Idris. Without Idris’ support base and Echocho’s threat within the party, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Wada to wriggle his way in the PDP.
APC’s house-cleaning
While the PDP continues to battle with internal bickering, the All Progressive Congress (APC) keeps consolidating. The battle of wits that followed the merger of the former three parties has become a thing of the past in the party. Chieftains, stakeholders and members are closing ranks, determined to chase the PDP out of power come 2015.
Former governor Abubakar Audu has jettisoned any governorship ambition, making it possible for a fresh breath of liberty to blow in the party. Audu, who confirmed this to reporters in his country home recently, said: “I have no ambition for 2015 or 2020, but I have ambition for the state to grow. I want to be a very relevant political leader to guide and support elected leaders to achieve good governance”.
He explained he remained in politics not to look for money or contest for elective positions, but to be the mouthpiece of the less privileged, saying that as a father, he must give everybody the opportunity to develop.
Dismissing any leadership tussle within APC in the state, Audu said: “As one of the founding fathers of APC, I am a natural leader of the party both at the state and national level and I am not contesting leadership of the party with anybody”.
The APC was factionalised with one group said to be loyal to Audu. The arrowhead of Audu’s powerful group is the interim Chairman of the Kogi APC, Mr. Haddy Ameto. The other faction was led by a chieftain, Mr. James Ochile with Alhaji Muhammed Kassim said to be the arrowhead. But the party has been undergoing realignment, leading to dismantling of splinter groups.
Speaking recently, Ameto said: “There is no faction again. I am the chairman of the party and I know that there is no faction. Whatever the kind of misgiving people may have, the congresses will settle it. That is for anybody who thinks that there are factions but to me, we do not have factions”.
This new-found synergy, observers say, will stand the party in good stead to displace Wada come 2015. Thankfully, the governorship poll will take place several months after the State and National Assembly elections. Mindful of this, sources said the APC has mandated his governorship aspirants to ensure victory at their wards and constituencies to stand them in good stead.
Feelers said Ochile is leading the party’s governorship race though many other candidates are expected to declare intention as the election draws closer. Some party chieftains, it was learnt, are also speaking with Echocho to consider working with the APC. Their thinking, it was argued, is with a formidable, popular candidate like him, it won’t be difficult to galvanise popular support for the APC.
Ameto was in a confident mood when he spoke with reporters on APC’s chances. He said: “We are strategising and we are going to defeat PDP roundly at all levels in 2015. They cannot defeat us in any election because PDP has not recorded any achievement in this state.
“There were protests at the local government councils because of non-payment of staff salaries. In a local council they even boxed themselves. When APC comes on board, we would ensure that council funds are not tampered with”.
Kogi State PDP Chairman, Hassan Salau, dismissed such talks as empty threats. According to him: “Aside from the bond that the state government recently took to be used for infrastructural development, I do not think that the state is owing. APC cannot defeat PDP because APC is not organised. An ‘iroko’ tree is superior to a mahogany tree. PDP is an iroko tree’’.
For now, Wada seems to be facing high hurdles to his reelection. With a divided party, an estranged godfather and a united opposition, it is hard to see how he would work his way back to the State House.
