Starting The Campaign In Kogi Central:
It was really a hectic task laden with danger because of the prevalent violence, but I had complete inner peace and supernatural assurance of safety and that of my followers. I prayerfully sought God’s wisdom in every step to be taken by me. I was aware of the ‘boys’ superintended by the late Awela, camping at a location called ‘barrack’ near Dabras Hotel, they called themselves freedom fighters. My campaign at home started with them!
I sent an emissary to them, to inform them of my coming home to campaign for a ‘foreigner’ and expressed my wish to start my campaign with them. An appointment was fixed and off on my way to Okene for the boys. I drove my Lincoln Navigator to their camp with 2 or 3 more people in the car. On reaching the primary school near Dabras Hotel, I called Awela on my phone informing him of my presence and readiness to meet with them.
He ‘instructed’ me to take my seat in one of the classrooms. We ‘obeyed’ the ‘commander’ and after waiting for about 30 minutes, we saw him coming from a nearby bush hanging his AK47 while striding majestically towards the classroom. Other boys followed behind him with their arms as well. I was in complete peace with myself and in excitement to meet and educate these children to abandon the bad business.
They took their seats facing us directly with frowned faces! I was unperturbed. I started by introducing myself and my mission of marketing Audu with reasons. What I told them was like:
“I feel very sad seeing all of you in this state of danger. I love you all intensely and whatever I wish for my children is what I wish for you. None of my children can ever take to this bad business. I am NOT a politician, do not belong to any political party and not even a registered voter.
I am an activist for development and that is my sole focus! I have nothing to gain from what I am doing except for the emancipation of the people like you. It is because of people like you that I have come home to market Audu so that I can use him to achieve my objectives for the society. Please ask Audu if I have collected a dime from him. I am not a political merchant! I decided not to collect money from Audu so that I can have the necessary influence on him to recreate the society of my dream.
It is my desire to see violence end and I want your cooperation in this regard. Violence at home can’t consume me because I do not reside at home neither any of my children. You can’t kill my father because he is resting in peace in his grave! You can’t burn any of my houses because I have none at home! I have only one sister from the same womb who does not reside at home and no brother from the same womb with me. Therefore, I will be least affected with the continuation of violence. You can be rest assured that whatever I am doing is purely in your own interest.
You people are carrying guns given by politicians but you have failed to ask yourselves if they have given such guns to their children. You can be killed at any time while the children of your sponsors remain safe in their havens. Don’t you want to become ‘big men’ in the society that people will be trouping to you for help? Don’t you know you will be old one day? Is this how you will continue to live your lives till old age? I wish you to be ‘bigger’ than myself and that is why I am here to teach you how you can achieve the lofty height.
As from this moment, take me as your biological father and feel free to contact me for whatever assistance you want from me. From this place I will be touring all the wards in Kogi Central to market Audu for the governorship of Kogi State. My lovely and dear children have this money from me. Never use my money to buy arms but use it for your personal upkeep. God bless and keep you in Christ Jesus.”
They frowned when taking their seats but remorselessness overtook them as I continued the narrative and completely melted down at the end of my sermon. Indeed they had human hearts; they were victims of terror of poverty and political manipulations! They were prisoners of the political system. They confided in me that they were not happy with the way they were living their lives but had no option. From then on, they were very friendly and I treated them as my biological children always counselling them throughout my campaign. As at today, many of them have been consumed by the inferno of violence and only a few of them are living. What a pity! My heart bleeds for them.
My Relationship With The Home “Boys”:
The Grace of God created peace between me and them. All the boys from the contending sides were at peace with me. Kogi Central was like a garden of Eden to me, dwelling there as an “Adam”. I commend all the boys because they were very respectful to me, I was almost an authority to them, I would sometimes even shout at them and yet they would not react. To God be all the Glory!
I must commend all the Executive Local Government Chairmen of PDP at that time and also all the political leaders of opposing groups for accommodating me. Despite the fact that I was moving round their wards, they deemed it fit to be at peace with me. The boys, the opposing political leaders, the Local Government Chairman and all my supporters who campaigned with me were the real heroes of the campaign! I give them all the credit. The underlying truth is that God touched their hearts to behave the way they did. If they had sent killers after me or any of my supporters, it couldn’t have worked and they could have been judged by God Himself!
God shielded and continues to shield me and my supporters. Since I came into the political arena, I have not STRANGELY lost any relative or political inner caucus supporter and none of us is afflicted with any strange or terminal disease till date. Before the 2015 Senatorial election wherein I was contesting, I was waylaid by two masked young men along Kaduna-Abuja road as early as 7.30am holding Ak47. I was driving my Lincoln Navigator with my P.A. at the front seat, the only two of us in the vehicle.
They tried to cross the road as we were approaching them. I stopped the vehicle and remained static. The two of them pointed their guns at me while standing at about 3 -4 meters away from us and severally pulled the trigger but the guns refused to answer them. After several trials, the gun answered at same time. At this point, it downed on me to start moving. I will call them sharp shooters because they were using the telescope of the guns to target me. None of the guns was pointed at my P.A.
There was no any single dent or scratch on the car and the car was not bullet proof. It was an assassination attempt for political reasons. None of the vehicles before or after me was stopped. Someone close to me gave them the timing of my movement. It was a practical demonstration of God’s protection over me and my loved ones including my supporters.
That protective God can never die and will ever remain with me till I leave this odd world. Though, I have forgiven all the people involved in the chain of evil, but the important question is, has God forgiven them? Have they not destroyed their peace and lives? As many as plan to harm me should take heed not to harm themselves! My redeemer in Christ Jesus certainly liveth!!
Visiting Some Personalities:
The next set of people I visited with handful supporters, were those who had worked with Prince in the past as commissioners and in other capacities. People like the late respected political heavy weights like Alh Musa Etudaiye, Mrs HalimatAtima, Alh. AzeezObinni, His Excellency Patrick Adaba who was a Deputy Governor to Audu and others too numerous to mention here.
There were common complaints from them about my principal and I practically knelt down on my two knees to beg these mentioned names, at the end of which I would call Audu on my phone to have reconciliatory chats with these personalities. After these private visits, I enlisted multitudes of my supporters and moved in convoy for our ward to ward campaign.
My Visit To The Then Local Government Chairmen:
As a matter of principle, I am duty bound to respect positions of the people in government, even though I may not believe in their mode of governance. Consequently, I paid courtesy calls on all the PDP Local Government Chairmen to explain my mission at home and assured them of my absolute impartiality in the contending violent groups in the land. Restoration of peace and enaction of good governance was my focus. I explained that I belonged to no political party and I should be considered as a friend and not a foe.
I once again seized this opportunity to thank the Local Government Chairmen and other contending violent groups for allowing God Almighty to touch their hearts not to send assassins to me. I repeat, if they had done so, they could not have even succeeded and God could have judged them accordingly! My God in Christ Jesus lives not dead, but ever alive and too eager to defend His own when under danger. To the leaders, I say again thank you!!
My Ward To Ward Campaign:
With my supporters, we started our ward campaign and would retire each day to Dabras Hotel where I spent the nights, a stone throw from the ‘barracks’ where the ‘boys’ were residing! The methodology of the campaign was to gather people of all political persuasions, religions and even those who were not members of any political party but with voting cards to cast. After introducing myself I would deliver my stereotype message:
“I am not a politician, do not belong to any political party, not even a registered voter! But I am in your midst today to share in your sorrows and aspirations as a bonafideEbirraman. Though, I do not reside at home but I am highly concerned about the level of poverty ravaging the people coupled with unsolicited violence that has overwhelmed the society. Poverty and death resulting from violence is never a friend of any clan, religion or political party, which is the reason the victims of these menaces cut across the divides.
The tool that reduces poverty to the barest minimum and brings peace and prosperity is good governance. Whoever can bring it about should be embraced whether he is of different tribe, religion or even political party. Anyone elected into office stays there for four years and he has the sole custody of your joy or sadness, life or death, peace or distress.
You will be determining with your votes, the type of life you and your family will like to live for another four years – whether or not you will like your husbands or wives to work without pay, your children to secure jobs after graduation, you want highway robbery to be terminated, you want to sleep with your two eyes closed and if you want the present violence to be wiped off.
That is the very reason your choice must NEVER be premised in sentiments when making the critical choice of who to vote. You need to probe the antecedents of candidates before casting your vote for any of them. Go for the best candidate who will ensure your welfare whether that person is of your tribe or not, of same religion or not, of same clan or not and of same political party or not. Political parties are created by people to serve their interests and not the other way round.
Having objectively accessed all the candidates for the forthcoming gubernatorial election, it is my considered opinion that Audu will best serve your welfare interests. My confidence is hinged on my discussion with him, his promise to implement my blue print for the emancipation the poor in Kogi State, and his developmental antecedents. Moreso, I have not collected a dime from Audu, rather I made him to be aware that whatever money is used by me should be considered by him as contributions from all the poor people in Kogi State and for that reason, he is absolutely indebted to them before God!
I am using my hard earned resources, not proceeds of corruption, to do whatever I am doing out of love for you and not necessarily for Audu. Audu is just fortunate to have been the best candidate I consider for the job. It could have been anybody else but my main focus is you and nobody else! Give me your listening ears and encourage me with your acceptance of Audu by voting for him in the next gubernatorial election. You will not regret it I assure you, by God’s grace”.
Their Typical Response and My Community Development Works:
We campaigned in all the 53 wards of Kogi central and their common response were catalogues of their grievances ranging from removal of the Specialist hospital from Central, his alleged display of pomposity and other allegations that have escaped my memory. Though, majority would concede that he was the best governor that ever governed the state till that time in terms of general development of the state, yet they insisted on their grievances.
The people saw my sincerity of purpose, my intense love for them and at the end of the day multitude of people decided to give me the benefit of doubt. Many of the wards requested my intervention in their varying community needs. As a result of the requests, many community projects were executed including but not limited to, electrification projects, sinking of new boreholes and repair of the old ones, sinking of wells and repair of some, repair of some mosques and purchase of air-conditioned 18 seaterHiace bus for the use of Ebirra Community Association that was up and doing to ensure peace in Ebirraland.
I offered N100,000 per month as running costs for the vehicle but stopped the cash payments after two years due to reasons that cannot be disclosed here. The youth were mobilized by me with brand new motorcycles.
Typical examples of the projects were the rehabilitation of the water supply systems at the Central Jumat mosque, Okene and the electrification of the Idanuha area in Adavi LG.A. I gave in the year 2007, N500,000 for the electrification ( buying of new poles and cable wires and their installation) and I made sure it was well utilized for the purpose. The community projects cut across all the local Government Areas of Kogi central. Whatever was spent came from my sweat and no financial contributions from any individual or organisation anywhere in the world.
Before the intervention, the water system at central mosque was in a state of disrepair. I had to change the overhead tanks, rehabilitated the dysfunctional borehole, and changed all the connecting pipes. I am a practicing Christian by the Grace of God but I don’t believe in religious discrimination! God made man in His own image and that man includes any human being whether he believes in God’s existence or not.
We can’t claim to truly love God who we can’t see but only perceive when we don’t love Hiown image that we can see and touch. It is your love that can draw somebody to your belief and not hatred or antagonism.
I must seize this opportunity to profusely express my gratitude to those close supporters and associates, both men and women, young and old who criss-crossed Kogi Central with me. You believed in me and went out with me. May God bless you all.
The Subsequent Election and Re-Election:
The parties went into the gubernatorial election and His Excellency Alh Ibrahim Idris was declared the winner while Prince AbubakarAudu was excluded by INEC from participating in the said election. A re-election was ordered to take place within three months after the election of Idris was nullified as a result of the legal war waged by the Prince. Ohiare lost to Idris in the election proper.
Senator Ohiare As Deputy To Prince Audu:
Ohiare’s party, ACN formed an alliance with ANPP, Audu’s party to forge a common front against Idris for the re-election. Consequently, Ohiare became Deputy to Audu. Till this time, my campaign never stopped despite the fact that I was still not a card carrying member of any of the parties and neither was I a registered voter! I was not yet a politician but strictly a pro-development activist and democratic revolutionary.
Sadly enough, Ibro still won the by-election and my man Audu being an indefatigable fighter decided to head to the courts. While in the court, Ohiare and others defected from their political party ACN to PDP, thereby leaving Audu solo as he waged his legal battles. It may be noted that at this stage, Audu was legally without any deputy because his Deputy Ohiare had decamped!
The Outcome Of The Legal Battle:
I was highly entrenched in the legal intrigues on my own initiation and can confidently affirm here that Audu could have won the case clear and neat if not the unfounded rumour he floated on the media that the judges took a bribe of N5b to write judgement in favour of Ibro! On my eve of departure to the United States, I was with the Prince and heard him desperately urging someone over the phone to bring the papers quickly for his signature. “What is the matter Prince?” I asked.
He confided in me that he wanted to sign a petition to be taken the following day to the President of the Appeal Court to complain against one of the presiding judges who was allegedly seen going to Lugard house to purportedly collect N5b bribe for his fellow judges involved in the case. I was flabbergasted because I was certain such a move would be fatal to our case. I further enquired from him: “Did the alleging person say he saw him collecting the money?” Of course he said no but the person saw the judge going into Lugard House.
He said he was inclined to believe that there must be something going amiss because as one of the presiding judges, he shouldn’t have any business going to meet one of the litigants of the case especially during the pendency of the court case. I opined to him that as sound as the logics might be, it all boiled down to rumour because the bribery case has no any concrete proof and it wouldn’t befit his personality for him to append his signature to a written rumour and then personally deliver same to the President of the Appeal Court. “You will destroy our case sir” I voiced out to him.
The man with the written letter had not arrived before I left his house that day. Before I left him, I repeated my plea to him never to submit the protest letter. I knew why I was very much troubled. I was certain with the knowledge of my activities that we were coasting home with victory and I could imagine how the rumour peddling would destroy the anticipated victory! I did not see Prince before I left for the United States the following day.
After some days, the news that the rumour was already floating in the print media hit me like a thunderbolt. I changed my flight and rushed back immediately to meet a web of mess on ground. I met Prince and he said his media man, one Gowon Ebunu, did what he was not mandated to do by floating the news on the print media. I rushed to Gowon and he said he acted according to the instruction of his principal; meanwhile the accused judge was fuming with anger! What a mess!!
I traced the judge involved and prostrated in his office to beg him for forgiveness and never to allow the incidence to affect the cause of justice of the matter. The man was elderly and had spent so many years to build his career and integrity that was being threatened with the unfounded rumour. If you were the judge, will you award your accuser with victory for accusing you? The case was expectedly lost!
Initial Offer Of Deputy Governorship To Me:
While the case was in the court and before the bribery rumour surfaced, we were highly hopeful to win the court case. But Audu was not having any Deputy because of the decampment of Ohiare and others. Audu called me one night and requested me to step into the shoes of Ohiare as his Deputy in recognition of my untiring labour and sacrifice for the group and the cause.
I flatly objected and reminded him of our contractual agreement at Obonicha and my promise not to accept any post or contract from his government. Some of his tribesmen and my supporters persuaded me in vain to accept the offer. My intention was to recommend someone from my group to him after the court victory in case they insisted in their demand. Alas, the victory was hijacked by the rumour.
– Dr. Moses Wokili
P.S:
Part 3 And Other Parts To Continue next month, November… (Audu’s decision to quit politics, my journey to America to convince Audu not to quit, how I ultimately became Audu’s Deputy Governor Candidate before I even registered with Audu’s party, Audu and I meeting Tinubu in his Lagos house, Audu & I meeting Bisi Akande at his home village, our decampment to ACN based on my advice to Audu, and my parting ways politically with the Prince before his most unfortunate death).
