There is an anathema of a post, poorly written and sparsely circulated on social media platforms in which the anonymous writer suggested that his principal – the Caretaker Chairman (CTC) of Okehi Local Government (LG), Kogi state, Mr Abdulraheem Ohiare – has been endorsed by all other APC aspirants as the party’s consensus candidate for the chairmanship of Okehi Local Government, Kogi state. This we can say is a figment of the imagination of the writer or at best a joke taken too far beyond the boundary of decorum!
The hireling kindergarten writer stooped to the ebb of raw falsehood in his failed attempt to curry favour from the unsuspecting public or to simply earn his meal ticket. This tactic of lie machination, for whatever intent other than deceit, is not only a testimony to the fake character of the author but a dent on the image of the respected Hon. Abdulraheem Ohiare and the noble men of our council who paid the acting chairman a courtesy visit in his office in Obangede last Thursday, the 28th of July, 2016.
While we love Hon. Abdulraheem Ohiare as a colleague that we must help to succeed in the interim capacity as Okehi CTC, it’s instructive to note that the purported endorsement meeting was actually a visit to the CTC by concerned citizens of Eika-Ohizenyi under the aegis of Okehi Chairmanship Aspirants Forum to advise him on staying focused and making good use of his brief tenure of office for the benefit of our people and also to remind him of the age-long zoning formula vis-a-vis the position of Okehi L.G. Chairman.
Out of the 11 Wards in Okehi L.G.A, Eika-Ohizenyi is one of the few who have not produced the local government chairman since the creation of the LG and all stakeholders have agreed that it’s the turn of Eika-Ohizenyi to mount the seat. It’s a known fact that Hon. Abdulraheem, the incumbent CTC, is from Obangede-Uhuodo ward, the same ward that has previously produced the chairman in the person of Hon. Abubakar Adagu in 2008 -2011. Going by this zoning arrangement, it should be abundantly clear that Hon. Abdulraheem is ineligible to contest the forthcoming chairmanship election.
However, indications have emerged that Hon. Abdulraheem Ohiare is now nursing the ambition of advancing on his CTC status by being elected as the executive chairman in the next election. Hence, the visit was necessary to help him overcome the strong temptation of sidelining our respected political tradition of zoning for his ‘personal’ interest. This will certainly not augur well for the relative peace we have been enjoying in Okehi.
The people remain the central focus in democratic definition either in principle or in practice and as such their will must be respected above any individual ambition. We want to use this medium to call on leaders of our beloved party, APC, in Kogi state to intervene in this matter, now that it’s still budding, and forestall the inferno it may generate.
The New Direction administration of our amiable Gov. Yahaya Bello in Kogi state is highly reputed for being fair in giving everyone a sense of belonging. Therefore, we refuse to believe the lie alleging that this impending marginalization of Eika-Ohizenyi gained the approval of His Excellency, as it’s starkly an antithesis to his hallowed ethos of fairness.
– Comrade Bello Muhammad Sadiq (BMS)
General Secretary, Okehi Chairmanship Aspirants Forum
