KOGI, FROM THE SIDELINE
By Layi Deinde
The state is one that catch my fancy as their EBIRA and KABA people, i have related with (outside the state, as they travel fairly).
Sharing boundary with TEN states and the FCT is an advantage waiting to be explored, in my view.
Several minerals we hear lie beneath the crust there, of special mention is one said to be used in the manufacture of Engines of Aircraft.
The Ajaokuta that has been there for so long, waiting for the leadership that is visionary enough.
The people are hardworking and enterprising, i have related with them at close range to understand this positive traits especially among the EBIRA and KABA ethnic groups. The positive traits extend to other tribes, too.
Just like NIGERIA, the challenge of this rich state by my assessment has been LEADERSHIP.
Almost a four year cycle winds to a close.
The governorship election approaches the trading is here again!
The chances painfully remain between the All Progressives Congress and the People’s Democratic Party, the reason the young Political platforms refuse to group themselves together and benefit from protest vote is one i need a lesson about.
The man to beat in the coming election for Lugard House is the incumbent, Yaya Bello
Here is someone who warmed his way into several hearts, his age being a major factor. Getting to work, Security was one vital area reports have it he achieved a measured success.
Worker’s welfare which is of equal importance as provision of infrastructure and anything else is one the incumbent score below average on. This is one aspect hard to comprehend as his friend and mentor, the president has bent over backwards providing relief for almost all state governors, he was once quoted as saying; he didn’t know how governors who default in payment of salary sleep at night. Yet Bello claims to have a close relationship with baba.
The APC is once again at a crossroad of Fielding the incumbent.
The action is one which could pitch the citizens of the Confluence state against the party. Can the party act in defiance of the incumbent?
Going by the result of the presidential polls, where the governor delivered for Buhari and APC, the odds is in favour of the incumbent governor.
This might not be a completely correct position, going by the way Nigerians now raise their expectations from leaders, making the electorate not to reward poor governance with votes. In several parts of the nation, the APC got more than what they bargained for losing some governorship seats in places like Oyo, the performance of the incumbent in Oyo is that which can be rated as approaching an average. Aside that factors that played out in the loss was the high handed posture, which the PDP took maximum advantage of.
The Kano episode will remain in the memories of the APC party stalwarts and the governor for a long while. The result the president gathered was a sharp contrast with the slim edge the incumbent got.
Comparing with another state where the governor default in payment of workers wages is Benue. That the incumbent won there actually confound one, making bystanders wonder the citizen’s expectations. Looking at the clashes between the Arable and Livestock farmers and its politicisation the victory is not unexpected.
Ogun State is another place the APC might have lost, should the incumbent’s candidate be the one to fly the party ticket. This is hinged on the domineering disposition of the governor. This got to a climax as he solely penciled the names of fourty people who were to fly the party flag in last election.
Yaya Bello has the party machinery, which was deployed for the electoral success of the APC in the last election, he and or his backers seems intolerant to the opposition, the experience of the promising candidate of the Social Democratic Party validates that position. One wonders why there shouldn’t be a level ground for all candidates to operate on. This might work against the incumbent as there is likelihood of alliance between several interest groups in a bid to wrestle power from the incumbent.
The Dino factor is also there for him to contend with, as he also has his support, resulting in him clinching the Senatorial Ticket against his arc rival Smart Adeyemi.
The APC might have to reason deep, before taking a plunge as the incumbent is not likely to allow an Ambode treatment, as he holds the party structure.
Having the party ticket looks like a sure bet for Yaya Bello. The ticket leading to a second term in office is the major challenge, the chances looks slim going by forces he has to contend with.
Layi Deinde
