Odaudu Joel Minister – An Open Letter To The Executive Governor Of Kogi State, Captain Idris Ichalla Wada On The Political Crisis In Kogi State: The Way Forward

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His Excellency,

There is no gain saying the fact that Kogi State under your tutelage is at present, highly engrossed with intra-party quagmires within your party, the PDP, and greatly engulfed in a political imbroglio (particularly the leadership crisis rocking the Kogi State House of Assembly) which has attracted the attention of the world to our dear State. To say the truth without mincing words, majority of our people especially the youths are greatly disenchanted and are no longer proud of our dear State consequent upon the interminable political turbulence currently holding the development of the State by the jugular. This indeed, is a gigantic challenge confronting your leadership of the State, and the only way you can surmount this challenge is by BUILDING BRIDGES, not WALLS, and MENDING POLITICAL FENCES within a considerable ambit.

His Excellency, what I am about to say could perhaps seem trifling to you and some other top government officials, but is very vital in that if heeded, will go along way in helping to restore peace in the Kogi State and put an end to the on-going dispute between the contending political elites in the State House of Assembly.

Using the leadership tussle in the State House of Assembly as a point of departure, you will agree with me that the current fragmentation cum polarization of the Honourable Members of the House of Assembly is worrisome, sickening, as it is lamentable. As the leader of the party in the State, the situation needs your urgent attention cum positive intervention to be resolved. Moreover, the closure of our State House of Assembly consequent upon the yet unresolved leadership scuffle is downright embarrassing. Kogi State is now being pushed down the deep sea of political frustration and democratic crushing as a result of this long-drawn-out crisis. I hereby urge you His Excellency, to focus on, and grapple as much as possible to getting the leadership crisis rocking the House of Assembly resolved.

By and large, His Excellency, for your name to be written in gold in our political history as a respecter of the Constitution and the Rule of Law, it is imperative your ferociously condemn the recent ILLEGAL REMOVAL or rather, UNCONSTITUTIONAL IMPEACHMENT of the Principal Officers of the House of Assembly, and take positive practical steps using your Capacity as the Executive Governor and party leader of the State to getting the Speaker, Hon. Abdullahi Bello; the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Emmanuel Omebije; the Majority Leader, Hon. Yakubu Yunusa, and the rest 7 principal Officers of the House who were unconstitutionally ousted REINSTALLED to their normal legislative capacities in the House of Assembly. You are the leader of the party in Kogi State and a father to all, and I have no doubt you have the political capacity and repertoire to make it happen. His Excellency, once again, I beseech you to please use your Office and executive power to settle the contending factions and put an end to the current political difficulties bedeviling our dear State.

In addendum, I urge you and your Zonal Party Executives to kindly and hastily reverse the abrupt suspension of Hon. Emmanuel Omebije; Hon. Yakubu Yunusa; Hon. Haruna Idoko Musa, and Hon. Zekeri Abdullahi from the party and sue for peace and reconciliation. His Excellency, our political elites must not remain fragmented. Our House of Assembly members must not continue to remain polarized. The House of Assembly must not remain locked up. This worrisome but distressful political status quo in the State must not continue as it is a weighty obstacle to the development of our dear State.

On the issue of the brazen embezzlement of our commonwealth or rather, the deregulated looting of our collective patrimony going on in our various Local Governments, I entreat you to swing into ACTION by exercising punitive measures via the removal and further probing of any rapacious Liaison Officer (LO) found wanting. I greatly commend your address to the LOs of the 21 Local Governments on the subject-matter on the 19th of October, 2012 as it is a step in the right direction. However, His Excellency, with due apology, that address to the LOs is in the very least, symmetrical with preaching the gospel to a sinner and asking him to go home and sin no more! That cannot, and will not in anyway stop him from subsequently aberrating! Put differently, an ordinary address to the LOs will not in anyway stop nor deter the rapacious ones among them from further siphoning the Local Government treasury! I suggest you take action by probing any erring LO as that will act as a deterrent to others.

Finally, His Excellency, I wish to use this medium to unequivocally spew the fact about a reality on ground. If nobody tells you the truth, I will, no matter how bitter! Consequent upon the myriad of non-tackled economic challenges confronting the State under your guardianship, and the ample problems currently bedeviling Kogi politics, your 10 Months Old administration is fast becoming unpopular by the day and it seems your close political associates and Media Team are shielding the truth of the current situation from you, perhaps for fear of losing their jobs! His Excellency, Kogi is gradually sinking, politically and economically. I implore you to act fast to salvage the status quo. As a matter of fact, Kogi State is crawling! Do something to redeem the situation. We want to see developmental projects being embarked upon by your administration. We want to see our teeming youths being empowered by your government and broken loose from the shackles of idleness. We want to see our farmers being aided and encouraged via the provision of the required agricultural paraphernalia to enable them produce food. You still have the time. Your government has not failed. You can still make it happen. It is high time you hit the ground running!

Politics is a human act, and all human acts are inspired by ethical considerations for them to worth the while. WE NEED TO MOVE FORWARD. We really need a new direction in Kogi State and I pray that God should see us through!

Yours Sincerely,
ODAUDU, Joel Minister.

Cc: Mr. Jacob Edi


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