The Network for Change and Good Governance (NCGG) has shortlisted Chief James Ocholi, Comrade Mohammed Ali and Captain Idris Wada as most credible among the current aspirants to lead Kogi State between 2016 and 2020.
The National Chairman of NCGG, Comrade Ismaila Yusuf Atumeyi, made this known today in an exclusive chat with our correspondent.
According to Atumeyi, NCGG has taken time to review all the politicians aspiring to contest the November 21 governorship election in Kogi state vis-a-vis their antecedents, manifestos, abilities and public perception.
Ocholi
The NCGG believes that Chief James Ocholi, SAN, stands tall among other aspirants. Ocholi is obviously one of the poorest among the aspirants but is credible, dependable, honest and of high integrity. A committed and loyal party man, Ocholi is a sure deal for Kogi state any day.
Mohammed Ali
The former Chairman of Dekina Local Government does not need much introduction. The under-40 aspirant represents generational shift and effective management of the state’s largely untapped resources. NCGG sees Mohammed Ali as the bridge between the new and the old order in the state. The fact that almost all persons that have worked with him in the past are supporting his aspiration to become governor speaks volume of his character and leadership ability.
Wada
Considering the financial situation of the state in the last three years, the NCGG believes the incumbent Governor Idris Wada has done well. He has not plunged the state into unnecessary debts. Wada, heeding the advise of well-meaning leaders who formed the transition committee in 2012, has refused to abandon on-going projects inherited from previous administrations in the state. This bold and self-sacrificial step is worth commending. Kogi state is still a civil service state and Wada has creditably maintained steady payment of civil servants’ salary against all odds. NCGG, however, appealed to Wada see how he can assist the local governments to meet up with salaries under their purview – LG workers and basic education teachers. NCGG noted that Wada’s biggest political undoing, though a plus for the state, is his low-patronage of political jobbers. NCGG advise Wada to create platforms for regular empowerment of the people, look into abandoned solid materials with the aim to harnessing these for job creation and economic development.
Other Aspirants
NCGG urges Prince Abubakar Audu to look for a more honourable national assignment, noting that he is not the only Kogite that is qualified for the post of governor. The group wondered why Audu has refused to emulate his coleagues in other states who were governors in the same era with him while citing John Oyegun, Isiaka Adeleke, Bola Tinubu and others. ‘We need a new face’, the group stressed.
As far as NCGG is concerned, Alhaji Jibrin Isah Echocho is not a politician but a political opportunist. Echocho is not a visible politician; he comes around during elections and disappears thereafter. We cannot trust such a person with governorship.
NCGG urged Kogi youth to desist from their current practise of abuse and insults. Youth must outgrow the current idea of collecting money from an aspirant to abuse and insult opponents. As leaders of tomorrow, let’s place the interest of the state above party lines.
The group equally called on all leaders to place the interest of the state above personal and party interest. ‘Whomever emerge winner of the coming election should be embraced and supported by all and sundry in the interest of Kogi state’, she said.
