Honourable Leke Abejide, current member, Federal House of Representatives, came from no where to pick the victory on the platform of African Democratic Congress (ADC) in the 2019 general elections, representing Yagba East, Yagba West and Mopa Amuro local government areas in the lower chamber of the National Assembly.
This seemingly negative decision that later turned a positive one by the people on the choice of Honourable Leke Abejide. While other contestants were jostling for the popular political platforms like the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Abejide’s step was in the right direction after all.
This also coincided with the position of the electorate and constituents who believed strongly in politics of development and emancipation in its entirety, and not a ruling party or main opposition party as they filed up behind Rep Leke Abejide to elect him in 2019.
Little did we knew that the haywire political decisions taken by the people of Yagba Federal Constituency will go a long way to address both previous and current realities in the Nigeria polity.
His seeming weakness from a core minority party had justified the age long belief of the core political juggernauts in Nigeria from the first republic of not only realising their political ambition, but providing dividends of democracy beyond imaginations.
After over five decades of this practices in the Northern, Western, Southern regions and lately South Eastern region including the lately formed Middle Belt region in the first republic, between 1960 and late 60’s, the positive re-enactment by Honourable Leke Abejide in Yagba Federal Constituency has relived the need to embrace any platform for political emancipation of our choice provided we are determined to right the wrongs.
I will not bore us down memory lane how opposition elements were the rallying points of many Nigerians. both in the first and second republics with distinct performances. Even at the advent of the third republic, the slim opposition elements, at the local government areas, states and federal levels, did creditably well to the consternation of their electorate, as the case that readily came to mind is the Late Zik’s Nigeria People’s Party, NPP, Late Awolowo’s Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, Late Aminu Kano’s People’s Redemption Party, PRP, and Great Nigeria People’s Party, GNPP of Late Ibrahim Waziri as the party’s various platforms and its performances spread across old Oyo, Ondo, Ogun, Lagos, old Enugu, Imo, Plateau, Kano, Kaduna, and the old Borno state remained historical in the context of Nigeria, that almost outweighed the then ruling party under the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, that produced Shehu Shagari’s Presidency between 1979 and 1984.
The magnificent efforts of the first republic politicians in the opposition ranks remains a veritable tool for the current dispensation.
The ideal current Federal Lawmaker, Leke Abejide, even though he witnessed it, but at his tender age, yet brought forward in practice.
This singular act or Leke Abejide of the minority ADC in Kogi, National Assembly and Nigeria at large has brought a lot of succour to the people of Yagba federal constituency of what was lacking since the return of democracy in 1999.
He is representing a true democrat having made a lot of achievements in the areas of education, health, provision of water, electricity, empowerment, capacity building and development, trainings and provision of macro and micro economic seedlings in the last two years, with the mega one recently carried out in his constituency that not only surpassed the success of the present representation in the area, Kogi state, but Nigeria at large.
Rep Leke Abejide had detached his constituents of Yagba federal constituency from the prevalent social stratification, economic downturn and hardships, and educational backwardness that is the indices of not only poor leadership, but economic instability in Nigeria.
The choice of minority party, ADC, by Leke Abejide has become a proverbial rejected stone that is now the cornerstone of a robust party platform in Yagba Federal Constituency and Kogi state at large.
As Vice -Chairman, House of Representatives committee on Customs, provision of unemployment opportunities within his oversight committee and others was an under statement, this is different from his well thought out skill development programs of his area.
Leke Abejide, outside his party manifestos and electioneering campaigns and promises, had gone out of his way to fulfill series of promises that arises outside his mandate.
His giant strides had not only shown a lot of potentials in him to continue or aspire for higher offices in any given platforms of his choice, but, will be an opportunity for the people of Yagba Federal Constituency not to look any other way to casting their votes in 2023, with Leke Abejide’s strides.
The pay back time for Rep Leke Abejide is around the corner by 2023. He has replicated the good works of Late Nnamdi Azikiwe,Obafemi Awolowo, Ladoke Akintola, Micheal Okpara, Ozumba Kingsley Mbadiwe, the man of timbre and calibre, Late Joseph Tarka, Late Tafawa Balewa, and Late Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello in Yagba Federal Constituency in Kogi state and deserves continuity on his own willingness and volition.
The confidence Rep Leke Abejide had restored in opposition representation in Yagba Federal Constituency in the current dispensation can be replicated across the state and Nigeria at large not minding party platforms, but performance.
Congratulations to the people of Yagba Federal Constituency, let’s do it again in 2023.
– Abubakar Yusuf
Email: yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
