The APC primary election in Kogi state which produced the candidature of Prince Abubakar Audu may have come and gone, but the further division, acrimony, enmity and agitation it created will continue to live with the people for the years to come. it is clear that the people of Kogi central and west senatorial districts of the state have ones again handed over the governorship of the state on a platter of gold to the Igala dominated East senatorial district by the virtue of the fact that the two main contenders for the PDP ticket are both Igala speaking and prince Audu who has already emerged candidate of the APC also hails from that district. Whichever way the pendulum of victory swings, the fact that the next governor of the state will be an Igala man may have been signed, sealed and delivered.
As power shift agitators continues to engage in blame game and clueless pointing accusing fingers at individuals and group for being responsible for their failure to have their way, it is important to state here that power shift agitation which was championed by the political leaders of Ebira and Okun was dead-on-arrival the very moment they all decided to put all their eggs in single basket. They shot themselves in the feet by using a single political party platform and now they are all back to square one. The inability of the aspirants of central and west district to heed the call of notable political and traditional leaders and step down for a single candidate to emerge on a consensus arrangement shows the level of selfishness and disunity even among the so-called power shift agitators.
Having a consensus candidate that will be acceptable by all and further boost the chances of an Ebira or Okun governor which would have further brighten the electoral chances of the APC at the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in Kogi state wouldn’t have been an issue, should the aspirants displayed some level of political maturity, selflessness, sincerity and commitment to the course of power shift. Unfortunately, the aspirants allowed themselves to be swallowed by selfishness, ego and pride at the expense of their love for the overall wellbeing of their people.
Rather than continue to lament or duel on the disappointments of the APC primary election, this is the time for Ebira and Okun leaders to reflect on the way forward, to sit in a round table and renegotiate our collective existence in Kogi state and have in place a real master plan.
Power shift agitators may have lost the APC primary election, but they are not completely out. Prominent politicians like the former Deputy Governor of the State, Mr. Philip Salawu has shown his political foresight by joining the gubernatorial race under the platform of Labour Party LP.
If the Ebira-born, former number two citizen of the state eventually clinched the ticket of LP, it is incumbent in the political leaders of Ebira and Okun and indeed power shift agitators to support and ensure that the comes out victorious at the polls, come November 21st. Refusal to support Mr. Salawu and fully participate in all his campaign programs if he succeeds in becoming the LP flag bearer by the people of Kogi central and West wouldn’t only expose and portray power-shift agitation as a fraud deliberately designed to help some weak politicians into power, but it would go a long way to confirm and affirm the political worthlessness and inferiority of central and west district.
“The destiny of man is to unite to achieve a common goal, if we keep on dividing we will end like a collection of monkeys throwing nuts at each other out from separate trees” -J.K Rowling.
- Hussain Obaro, oseniobaro@yahoo.com, 08065396694
