An apolitical group, Alliance For Kogites in Diaspora (AFKD), has called on a former Commissioner for Information in the state, Dr Tom Ohikere, to respect the egalitarian nature of the state by desisting from inciting the good people of Kogi state using power rotation as a decoy.
The group said that the constant calls by Dr Ohikere to shift power to Kogi West senatorial was against the egalitarian status of the state wherein all bonafide Kogites have equal rights and privileges, regardless of their zone of birth, adding that the former image maker of the Confluence state was only suffering from what they described as political hallucinations having lost relevance in the political circle of Kogi state.
Speaking on behalf of the group in Lagos on Sunday, Public Relation Officer, Dr Hameed Umar said when supposed elders fail to respect the honor accorded the gray hair on their head due to monetary gains, the younger ones would be compelled to bring them to order.
“We call on the former Commissioner for Information, Dr Tom Ohikere to without much Ado stop inciting the people of our state. Kogi state is an egalitarian state and just like what egalitarianism stands for in a society, all citizens have equal rights and privileges. We believe in fairness and equity but that does not negate Ohikere’s divisive mechanism using power rotation mantra as a decoy.
“We are a non-political group. We are only here for the interest of Kogi state. We are stating here that the state belongs to all Kogite. And there is no senatorial district that is more important than the others. It is our fatherland and we have a duty to protect it at all cost. Politicians will always say what brings them Money and it means nothing to them even though it amounts to disaggregating the fiber of unity that binds our people together.
“We note here that Dr Ohikere has freedom of speech and he also has the right to advocate for his wishes, but we are concerned that if those rights go beyond the wind and set the three senatorial zones within the state against each other, he may not be able to extinguish the flame of political violence arising from his self-styled agitation.
“We call on Dr Ohikere to scale up his political awareness regardless of his present affiliation. Politics should go beyond mere regional agitation. We hereby call on all Kogites who have interest to contest the November Governorship election to do so regardless of where they come from.
“Kogi state has gone beyond regional and myopic political agitation. We should encourage credible and competent fellows to join the race and emancipate our land regardless of which zone they belong. Modern politics have gone beyond roadside political talk. People with good antecedents and capacity are now encouraged to ply their interest on the highway of political landscape. We should be more concerned with the personality of a leader rather than zonal consideration,” he said.
The group appealed to political kingmakers in Kogi state to work towards a better and prosperous state rather than engaging in activities that are capable of fanning the embers of disunity.
