For the past few days, I have been worried; worried about how Kogi West is viewed around the country; worried about the audacity of the blossoming ignorance of a few who support Senators for jeering at one of the world’s most cherubic and respected Presidents; worried about the idiocy of a few who have arrogated to themselves the hedge of a society by supporting brigandage in places where honour is the acceptable norm; worried by the disconnect between a falsified, played up unpopularity and the reality among the people. I was pounded by these worries. But in Kabba on Thursday December 20, I was buoyed. I was encouraged by the people. They came out, conducted themselves in an orderly manner to declare unalloyed support to Mr President and all APC Candidates in Kogi West senatorial district at a mega rally.
It is commonplace to habitually overstate numbers at political rallies. I won’t go that lane. But the number that came to the Kabba Township Stadium to declare support for President Muhammadu Buhari is a clear statement to anyone who has chosen to put fire on himself for the gods of Kwara.
Kogi Westerners are known for their academic excellence and decorum. I can say they are some of the finest brains in Nigeria – Prof Olu Obafemi, Dr David Atte, Prof Alemika, Prof Ampitan and many others in different professions. These are great minds with deep respect for culture and values.If the Senate has chosen the ignoble, our people have firmly resolved to stand by their President and are rooting for him in thousands. From their unspoken words, they have said they are not dishonourable or extinguished. They feel sorry for electing an embarrassment into the Senate.
They have told us stories. “GYB can’t win elections”, “He is owing salaries”. Even when we showed the world that he has paid with the little the state had, they still went to the floor of the Senate to ask Senators to donate food to “hungry Kogites”. And few months later, Senators were stopped from entering the chambers because they failed to pay salaries to National Assembly staff. The facts are emerging and the waters of hypocrisy are gorging out.
And on Thursday December 20, the rally set the records straight: The people of Kogi State are solidly behind their governor who has protected them and empowered the poor. He has engineered a generational change in governance and redefined political trust.
The Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, is a different kind of governor. He has sectoral focus. He has done very well in providing infrastructure, revamping agriculture, redefining healthcare and he remains the best governor in the area of ensuring security of lives and property. These key areas have endeared him to the people.
But we can’t shy away from the fact that his outstanding achievements have pitched him against the “Elephant Sharing Giants”. The meat is getting to the poor and the common people on the street. They wanted it shared among a few individuals. The disagreement was responsible for the noises on the floor somewhere in Abuja. They do not fight for the people. They are fighting for a selfish interest. They are fighting the governor for not doing what they call ‘the needful’.A friend once told me on my Facebook page how he had thought Yahaya Bello was a demon. He told me how some people are creating a new definition of the man. I didn’t reply with a word. I only sent one of the campaign pictures to him. Pictures speak louder than words.
I have not met a humbler governor. I have never seen a better listener. I have not met a better team player, until I came across Governor Yahaya Bello who is a pragmatic, dynamic and humane leader. He is a proactive administrator whose leadership qualities are beyond his age.
The takeaways from Thursday’s rally is the fact that the Governor of Kogi State is loved by the people. He is immensely popular among his people and the people are with him.
It is cheap to allege people were “rented” to attend rallies as if humans are chairs and canopies. The faces I saw at Kabba were passionate. They want APC to correct the errors of 2015. They have taken possession of their party and their government. And the opponents will be asked questions in the coming days. How come the governor you claim is unpopular was able to pull crowds in Anyigba, Okene and Kabba.
Like my social media guys would say, “we are merely testing the microphone! The real show is on the way”.
The major supporters of Senator Dino Melaye have decamped to APC. Two Commissioners who served in the immediate past administration decamped to APC. A sitting PDP local government chairman left the Umbrella to join the Progressives. And we have come with the best candidates to win elections.It is obvious that the PDP has no chance in Kogi State.
Kogi has spoken loud and clear. Truth can’t be covered. It will creep out. The reality is here. Kogi remains supremely with the APC, and APC looks set to do it again in 2019.
God bless Kogi State.
– Kingsley Fanwo is the Director General of Media and Publicity to the Governor of Kogi State.
