No! No! No! Not again. Can’t they produce good candidates?
I sat pondering over the possible outcome of the forthcoming election. Since the advent change from military to democracy, kogi seems to have no riposte to the conundrum of corruption, ignominy and squalor.
From economic bleakness to unmotorable roads, short paid staffs to venal policies ranges amongst other several discomfiture ascribed to kogi state .There seems to be no major stride in terms of development. All the administration from that of Audu to the present administration only breeze past the anomalous enigma they ought to have solved.
Explicitly, we can’t say they have done nothing at all but unequivocally they are not up to standard. Kogi state which ought to be an archetypal source of motivation to other states in terms of development due to its rich and glamorous history as well as its abundant natural resources now lacks any form of substantial landmark one can attribute to it in terms of the general well-being of the state.
The Wada led administration which promised lots of goodies spells nothing but failure in delinquency. A governor seeking a second term ought to be fault-proof. He has not performed well! His performance doesn’t reflect a state with an auspice for an exultant future. Veiling himself behind the power of incumbency, he seeks to contest a second term much to the dismay of a lot of Kogites.
Its rather too unfortunate and regrettable that PDP which seeks to rid the onus of corruption and debasement tainted above their name has failed to produce a more creditable and laudable candidate. Wada may be trying but he certainly doesn’t have credible credentials with the much needed developmentally oriented power house to drive the state into an apropos success. He is just a mismatch for the job. Anyone who can boastfully stand up and claim to be happy and gleeful over the present stride of development in Kogi is either a wheeler-dealer, an ethnic spin doctor or in a mental convulsion.
I think it’s time we resolve the issue our ethnic disparity and sectionalism and focus on the overall dole of the state. It shouldn’t matter if an okun man is the governor and a bassa man his deputy,as far as he is not subjugated to any blocs wills and his team are ready to transform the state into a munificent of good, why not work with him?
Much to the ado of the present disparity is the case of Philip Salawu, a former deputy governor contesting in the gubernatorial election under the platform of the labor party. It’s a dead cert that he is no match for any of the two main candidates but if there could be any form of surprises, we are yet to know.
APC which is currently marching on the wave of change contesting in the election with Audu as their flag bearer doesn’t really tone or complement each other. Audu with many bags of disdain ,scorn and vile doesn’t reflect any gleam of hope .It’s like jumping from one abyss to another.
Abhorrently, he doesn’t seems to be the tide- changer Kogi really needs. His various obnoxious schemes, fund mismanagement, corruption charges and tainted portfolio are definitely going to regress his comeback push. Regrettably, showcasing any acrimony and venomous rancor will undoubtedly do no good as one of them will surely emerge victorious after the election. From the situation at hand, the web of change bustling around the nation doesn’t seem like it has Kogi in mind. To represent Audu as a change adherent is repugnant.
Looking up to the heaven, I pray for a messiah that can enact the much desired change because neither Audu nor Wada is the liberator. The present condition of the state testifies to that. Genuinely, if the okuns and the ebiras should collaborate to produce a candidates they are ready to massively support, the igala’s would very much be outnumbered but frankly speaking, the hex of tribalism would only bring about noxious results. The sine qua non for the gubernatorial seat should be based on merit rather than ethnicity and wholly at the interest of kogi as a state and its citizens.
Looking at the present situation of things, I guess we all have to wait for the election to come and go in peace and see what the new administration has to offer and if the need arises, we should all stand together by GOD’s grace to plunge out this mess in the following election.
May GOD help us.
– By Abdulkadir Abdullahi
