Ahead of the November 11 governorship election in Kogi State, stakeholders from the west senatorial district of the state have intensified moves for power shift to the zone after Governor Yahaya Bello’s two terms in office, Daily Trust reports.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had fixed November 11 for the governorship election in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa.
The tenure of Governor Yahaya Bello who is serving out his second term is due to end on January 27, 2024.
There are three senatorial districts in Kogi State namely, Kogi East (Igala); Kogi Central (Ebira) and Kogi West (Okun).
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Kogi West Senatorial District which is mostly populated by the Yoruba-speaking people in the state comprises seven local government areas including Kabba-Bunu, Ijumu, Mopa-Muro, Yagba East, Yagba West, Lokoja and Kogi-Kotonkarfe.
Kogi East Senatorial District which has the majority population had over the years occupied the governorship position. It had produced Prince Abubakar Audu; Alhaji Ibrahim Idris (Ibro) and Idris Wada as governors from the return of democracy till 2015.
While Kogi Central and Kogi West districts that are in the minority could not clinch the plum seat despite previous attempts.
However, by some sort of divine providence, the tide turned in favour of Kogi Central Senatorial District in 2015 following the death of the then All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu who died while coasting to victory.
Following the death of Audu, the APC settled for Yahaya Bello who is an Ebira from Kogi Central Senatorial District as replacement for its late candidate.
Bello was chosen by the party on the ground that he emerged second during the governorship primaries of the APC.
It was on this premise that Bello emerged as the first ever governor from Kogi Central Senatorial District in 2015 and also went on to win a re-election for another term in 2019.
Prior to 2015, the highest positions the Kogi Central and West senatorial districts were able to produce included deputy governors, speaker of the state assembly; chief judge of the state and Secretary to the State Government (SSG).
But with barely nine months to the end of Governor Bello’s two terms in office, the agitations for power shift to Kogi West Senatorial District is beginning to gather momentum.
Stakeholders and gladiators from the senatorial district are of the belief that it would be in the interest of justice and fairness for the area to be supported to produce the next governor of the state.
The agitations for power shift to are becoming more intense amid concerns that Governor Bello is preparing one of his commissioners and kinsman to take over from him.
This is even as stakeholders from the Kogi West Senatorial District said they had an understanding with Bello that he would support the transfer of power to their senatorial zone upon expiration of his tenure.
Speaking on the issue, the Kogi West Elders Forum (KWEF) charged Bello to toe the path of honour by fulfilling his promise to allow the governorship seat to rotate to the senatorial district.
Secretary of the forum, Dr Tunde Arosanyin, made the call in a statement in Lokoja.
He said the call was in line with the promise made several times by the governor to always ensure justice, fairness and equity in his handling of the affairs of the state.
Arosanyin said there was no better way of proving this now than to ensure that the next governor of the state comes from the senatorial district.
“Kogi West has an abundance of qualified people from whom you are at liberty to pick as your successor and we promise to support the candidate.
“This reminder is integral because you are the leader of your party and the principal actor to execute a legitimate succession plan for the state.
“It has therefore become imperative to remind you to beam your searchlight on the Kogi West to improve upon the achievements of your administration.
“We believe that the reward of good is good just as we believe that Kogi West has paid its dues and request, not from the point of entitlement, but that of justice, equity, and fairness.
“Your excellency should stand up to support this agitation instead of allowing faceless groups to stand logic on its head in their bid to destabilise the state,” Arosanyin said.
In the same vein, Senator representing Kogi West and one of the governorship aspirants under the platform of the APC, Smart Adeyemi, has also lent his voice, calling for power shift to the zone.
Adeyemi said indigenes from the district have resolved not to vote for any candidate who is not from the region, because it is their turn to produce the next governor.
Adeyemi stated this while responding to questions on Trust TV’s flagship political programme, Daily Politics.
He explained that for 32 years, the zone had not produced a governor in the state, making the decision more germane in the spirit of fairness.
“The Kogi West leaders have met. The women have met. The professionals have met and resolved that none of us will vote for any candidate that is not from the west. We are not slaves; we are not conquered. This is our resolution as a people.
“How can we be in a state for 32 years and not be allowed to produce a governor and you want us to say we are part of that state? It doesn’t make sense. The world all over is governed by fairness,” he said.
The senator explained that he, alongside other members of the party in his senatorial district, had supported the re-election bid of Governor Bello with the expectation that he was going to cede power to the zone at the end of his tenure.
“The world is listening to me. We are part and parcel of Kogi State. We supported Yahaya Bello. In fact, he won his second term with the support of Kogi West because at that time, the zone had one of their own who contested on the platform of the PDP.
“We didn’t field a candidate in the APC; we supported him with the understanding that Bello will hand over to the west, and I am not in doubt that he is going to do that because in politics, 24 hours is still a long time.
“Let me just tell you that it will be at the peril of the party not to field a candidate from Kogi West. We are just three that are contesting for it; me, the commissioner of finance and one businessman from Lagos,” Adeyemi said.
Similarly, James Abiodun Faleke, a member of the House of Representatives and running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu, has called for a power shift to Kogi West in the interest of justice and equity.
Also, some groups of women and youths from Lokoja LGA trooped out in their hundreds to drum up support for power rotation to the zone.
The protesters who stormed the PDP state secretariat, Lokoja, registered their request after a street procession to that effect.
The spokesperson of the women group, Mrs Elizabeth Awelewa, said the zone is an integral part of the state and should be made to produce the next governor in the interest of peace, fairness and justice. “We are here at the PDP secretariat to tell the stakeholders that for the sake of peace, fairness and justice, PDP should pick their standard bearer from the west senatorial district of the state.
“We are not slaves in the political equation in the state .We have suffered enough. We need the ticket of the party and having Senator Dino Melaye as the standard bearer of the party,” she said.
Also, a youth leader from Lokoja Local Government Area, Comrade Mahmoud Aminu (Bolaji), said it would be unfair to the people of the west district not to produce the next governor of the state in the next administration.
