Every individual has a right to pursue his dream as far as his talents and dream can take him. History is replete with examples of families who dominated political spaces of countries.
These families out of providence provided positive leadership to their countries based on their shared family vision and the urge for service to mankind.
Today in Kogi state, a lot of politicians are afraid of the Ibrahim Idris political family not because of the dread of imposition of candidates but because of the huge positive influence the political mentor, former governor Ibrahim Idris, has in the state in terms of leadership.
The achievements of the man popularly called Ibro, are there for all to see.
An optimist, Abubakar Idris has learnt a lot from his father politically but he is his own man politically with a clear vision and blueprint that can set the state positively on the path to accelerated development.
He does not believe the apron-tied approach of politics which indicates that a candidate for an elective position must tie himself to a political godfather to be successful.
The office of a governor of a state is vied for to be achieved and not ascribed and Abubakar Idris does not believe his father has the right as an individual to ascribe or singularly make him or any other person a governor of Kogi state.
The young Idris believes power must evolve from the people for it to be meaningful and growth oriented.
For him, politics should be a vehicle for development while service to the people means freedom from the toga of godfatherism which has stunted our growth and development as a people.
Abubakar Idris says when he becomes governor, the people will be his leader and he their servant.
He will be free from the meddling of rent seeking politicians because he was not foisted on the people by any vested interest, a feat we have never achieved in Kogi state.
Godfathers have a sole positive niche in a progressive society.
The word godfather originated from a Latin word, GODFATHER, meaning a respected figure who gives good counsel and direction to a person.
It has never been known as a negative nomenclature till the rise of organisations such as secret cults and drug cartels.
Abubakar Idris opines that there is no individual who lives in his natural state that does not have a respected personality who he derives inspiration and counsel from to impact positively in the pursuit of success.
If today we ascribe positive godfatherism to his father, Ibrahim Idris, then he is proud to have him as a godfather because he is his father whom he derives positive inspiration from birth.
His father has had positive impact on Kogi state while he served as a governor for two terms of eight years.
It is, therefore, an undeniable fact that the former governor loves Kogi state and played his part creditably in the overall development of the state.
He knows that his son is now a grown up man who can take decisions on his own for the overall welfare and development of Kogi state when voted into office.
The apprehension about godfatherism in the state is understandable because of what transpired in the state in the past and that perception of our sordid past lives eternally in the breast of the Kogi people.
However, Abubakar Idris has used every opportunity to explain to the people that just as the George Bush family impacted positively in the political lives of Americans by producing two presidents without the negative meddling and influence of the senior Bush, he wants to make a case for himself and a name in the type of leadership and direction he brings to bear in the political terrain of this well endowed state.
Abubakar Ibrahim Idris wants to introduce a new type of politics in Kogi state.
He wants to build for the state a strong institutional capacity that can implement government’s policies and programmes without the intermeddling of vested interest.
He wants to help the state get out of its neo-colonialist political past where godfathers and their cronies shared the state’s patrimony to the exclusion of the people.
He wants to bring development to the door steps of our people; development they can see and touch.
In the political space, he wants to fight for our women by entrenching a system through well thought out affirmative action to implement his programmes of deliberately giving Kogi women the chance and space to contribute their quota to the development of the state.
Our system of leadership recruitment must change, he always says, and change we must if our neighbours are not going to live us behind.
The problems of Kogi state are man-made.
For too long the system of leadership recruitment is the outdated one based on tribal and clannish interests that have for so long stunted our development.
He assures when voted into office, he will use our God given human capital capacity which abound in the state to rebuild the very foundation of our developmental architecture.
He desires a state where those who have acquired the requisite talent and qualifications needed to grow the state are given the opportunity to drive their dream into reality.
Abubakar Idris did not seek to be voted as governor because he is the son of Ibrahim Idris but because of the soundness of his programmes and policies that if pragmatically implemented will change the narrative of the state for good.
He has promised to be the governor for all and promises to pull down the wall that separates the minorities from the majority because we are all Kogites.
We need to take our state back from powerful vested interest because the people’s power will outlive the enemies of our people’s development.
He says the time for us to be docile is over and he wants the Kogi people to join him in building a state founded on fairness, justice and equity for all.
– Abdulmajeed Itodo writes from Lokoja, Kogi state.
