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Like honey attracts ants so is money and power, it breeds greed and pride but a man can still possess both and still be as humble and humane as humanity demand.
The quest for power has made many to deviate from the God’s way, the humanity way. This reason, among others, is the root of electoral violence.
Since the inception of democracy in Nigeria, apparently there is no state that has not experienced one form of electoral violence or the other. From presidential elections down to councilor-ship elections, it has always been a dire battle of supremacy for the contenders but Kogi State case is a peculiar one. Electoral violence was fast becoming an accepted norm across the state before the advent of card reader machine by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led by Prof. Atahiru Jega as at then. This has helped in reducing the rate of thuggery and further controlling the incidence of snatching of ballot boxes and harassment of voters by gun wielding thugs.
Today, most of the self centered politicians with faint or no interest of the people at heart who takes solace in this politics of guns and violence have been relegated to the bottom of the leadership hierarchy of the state because the state politics has taken a swift diversion from the stale ways, it has become more of people centred politics , I believe a leader with a genuine interest of his people at heart should be able to win the support of the people through his actions and antecedents. I find it utterly amusing to know there are still politicians banking their hope of winning an election on guns and perpetuation of selfish politics of arming thugs to cause mayhem. I must say Kogites are more wiser than they used to be. The humbling economic situation witnessed in the last two years has pushed many to be more politically conscious compared to what is tenable in the past. The people have evolved from just leaving the business of politics to the politicians alone to participating in the process by themselves.
In all, as the 2019 elections draw nearer I can hear the drum beat for violence and bloodshed. I pray this state will never witness the unfortunate incident that preceded 2007 general elections in Kogi State when blood was the needed sacrifice to win an election, when Kogi State was thrown into a bloodletting free-for-all fight that claimed many lives and properties and some houses deserted till date.
May we never be ruled with the influence of gun. In God we trust, but most importantly in our voters card. Destiny they say speaks at the end, I pray the future of our unborn children will never be influenced by the power of gun.
History is the supreme judge of every man and will never be kind to any leader who is arming or nursing the ambition of arming youths with weapons to have his way.
Addendum:
I leave you with a short poem by Niyi Osundare
In this Land of the Free and Brave
The god of the gun is on rampage again
Say, in the Land of the Brave
The god of the gun is on rampage again
A brainless rifle mows down a score souls
We’re thrown into panic, the customary pain
Columbine, Sandy Hook, Las Vegas
Corpses, more corpses, in all a rowdy row
Say, Columbine, Sandy Hook, Las Vegas
Corpses, corpses, and all the rowdy row
In these morbid orgies and their rivers of blood
Death marches on, with Madness in tow
In this strange jungle of shoot-and- go
The NRA dons the scariest stripe
Yes, this strange jungle of shoot-and- go
The NRA dons the scariest stripe
It fuels the madness and bribes the base
And buys support from the Capitol Tribe
Blood all over in an innocent classroom
Blood on the field among the concert crowd
Ha gbaga!**, bold all over in an innocent classroom
Blood on the field among the concert crowd
The Riflemen saw the work of their fiery charge
Oh how so elated, how compellingly proud!
“Thoughts an’ prayers”, “Thoughts ‘n prayers”
Crocodile tears enough to float a ship to hell
Hun, “Thoughts ‘n prayers”, “Thoughts ‘n prayers”
Crocodile tears enough to float a ship to hell
A vain, inglorious Emperor, a fawning ruling clique
But the children are out, hitting, about to yell
– Amb. Aliyu Mahmud Amoto
Convener, Concerned Kogites
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