From Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
With the general elections over, all eyes are now being shifted to Kogi, Bayelsa and Imo states whose governorship polls are expected respectively to come up later this year.
In Kogi State, the storm is already gathering and there are serious levels of scheming, permutations and manipulation on who will succeed Governor Yahaya Bello whose second term will officially terminate by Jan 14, 2024.
Governor Bello himself is seen to be at the center of the storm as he is said to be hell-bent in producing his successor within the rank of his cabinet members and his trusted
aides who will carry on with his projects.
This may not have been a serious issue to contend with within the fold of the ruling party but for the fact that Governor Bello’s rigid insistence that his successor will not only come out from his cabinet but also from his own central senatorial district.
This stance, it is gathered has caused serious stirs within the All Progressives Congress in the state which has now been fragmented and divided into different factions with each working at crossroads.
Although it is observed that there are many smaller factions of APC within and outside Yahaya Bello’s administration, the most visible is that of the power shift agitators which is said to be led by James Faleke, member of the National Assembly representing Ikeja Federal constituency.
Faleke hails from Ekinrin Adde community in Ijumu local government area in the Kogi west senatorial district and was the running mate of late Prince Abubakar Audu in the 2015 governorship election who died shortly before he was announced as the winner of the election.
His death had generated a serious fuss as to who should inherit the victory between Faleke the running mate of the deceased and Yahaya Bello who was the runner up in the party’s primary. The court later ruled in favour of Yahaya Bello.
Before the 2015 governorship election in the state, there were cries of marginalisation and injustice on the part of Kogi Central who are mainly the Ebira and the Kogi west who are mainly the Okun- Youruba speaking tribes against the Kogi East mainly the Igala of manipulating the governorship seat which they (the Igala) have occupied for more than 16 years.
This it was gathered was why the Kogi West axis of the APC teamed up in 2015 in the party primary to support Yahaya Bello who is an Ebira man and who was seen as the youngest and most energetic among the aspirants, a development that made him to be the runner up to Prince Abubakar Audu.
With the unexpected death of Prince Abubakar Audu and the pronouncement of the court, Bello became the governor and his inauguration became the most celebrated in the history of the state as both the Kogi west and Kogi central saw him as the symbol and reality of the power shift battles which have been running since the creation of the state in August 27, 1991.
Thus, it is expected that after the expiration of Yahaya Bello’s tenure by 2024, the Central senatorial district would have ruled the state for eight years and it will be the turn of the Kogi west senatorial district which has not produced a governor since the creation of the state to produce one.
Conscious of this, leaders from the Kogi west senatorial district led by one time governor of old Oyo State and minister of police affairs, Major Gen David Jemibewon and comprising of Senator Tunde Ogbeha, Senator Smart Adeyemi, Prince Shola Akanmode, top business moguls and some traditional rulers were said to have met with governor Yahaya Bello and had a mutual agreement that the Kogi west axis would support him for his second term only if he will allow power to shift by 2024 to their zone.
With this in mind, people in the state now focus and have great sympathy for James Faleke who they expected naturally to succeed Governor Bello having been said to have spent fortunes as running mate to Audu both at the party primary with Audu (who died shortly before his victory was announced) the main governorship election and the series of litigations that trailed the outcome of the election.
Thus, when the ruling party commenced the sales of the governorship nomination form, a group, Kogi Elders Forum led by a top business mogul from Governor Bello’s senatorial district, Alhaji Ibrahim Sanusi popularly known as Gamji collected the Expression of interest and nomination form for James Faleke.
Gamji himself contested the 2015 governorship seat and came third closely behind Yahaya Bello.
But, pundits believe, Bello in his usual savvy style may have worked steps ahead the group as he had already formalised the mode of the primary election with the national working committee of the party weeks before forms were made open for sale to the aspirants.
And unknown to the power shift agitators and some key elements in the party, the National working committee was said to have dispatched a five- man committee to the state who conducted a controversial delegates election in which most delegates elected are believed to be Governor Bello’s appointees and supporters.
The delegates are the ones that will now vote on April 14 to choose the governorship candidate for the ruling party.
This bold and subterranean move by Bello was said to have made the National Working Committee of the party to give him the go- ahead to have his way to conduct the indirect mode of party primary while curiously Bayelsa and Imo states which will also conduct their own primary on the same date with Kogi are to use the direct mode of primary.
Direct primary involves the participation of all party members in the selection of candidates. Indirect primaries, on the other hand, involves the use of delegates. Often, party leaders at local levels, political appointees as well as elected officials are assigned to elect party candidates in indirect primaries.
Jolted by the development, the power shift agitators realised that there may be no free, fair and credible party primary using the delegates list as Bello would automatically have his way in imposing his candidate on the party and now headed to court to seek redress.
The aggrieved party members among others, sought for the setting aside of the indirect mode to be used for the conduct of the April 14 governorship primary and also sought for an interlocutory injunction restraining the party from using the delegates list pending the determination of the case.
But the court in its ruling last week declined the prayers of the aggrieved members.
Pundits believe that this unresolved delegates list palaver may be the real reason why Faleke has declined to contest the governorship election in the state coupled with the possible uncertainties and landmines in the amended Electoral Act that may be used against him as he has just been re-elected for the third term for the Ikeja federal constituency.
Being mindful of time and the fact that the primary may have been conducted before the case is finally determined in court, the aggrieved APC group with other political parties were said to have formed a coalition to fight Bello to the finish by propping up a National Assembly member, Leke Abejide under the platform of African Democratic Congress (ADC) to contest for the governorship seat.
Picking his nomination form last Monday, Leke Abejide who is representing Yagba federal constituency said he was going into the governorship race to win as he was the symbol of the Coalition for power shift to Kogi west senatorial district.
Abejide who was just re elected for the second term in the February 25 general elections said it was time that the Kogi west senatorial district had a taste of the number one seat in the state, saying since the creation of the state over 32 years ago, the district has been continuously marginalised.
The lawmaker who came to the National Secretariat of the ADC with a large crowd of supporters that cut across party lines said the coalition he represents is an amalgam of various political parties including the ruling APC, intelligentsia, entrepreneurs, youths and women organisations who have come under one umbrella to ensure that an Okun – Yoruba was elected in the November 11 governorship election.
On the part of Governor Yahaya Bello, pundits say he seems to be overwhelmed and confused on who to really choose to be his successor as he was alleged to have sponsored 12 of the 18 aspirants (especially within his camp) to obtain the #50 million governorship nomination form.
Many believe that if Bello insists on jettisoning the power rotation agreement and hands over to his kinsman in the Central senatorial district, he is likely to choose between the state Accountant- General and old classmate, Jubrin Momoh and his Chief of Staff, 39 years old Pharmacist, Jamiu Abdulkareem Asuku.
The projection is that if he decides to pick his successor from the eastern flank of the state, it is believed it will likely be between his friend and deputy, Edward David Onoja or his confidant and business associate, Friday Idachaba.
On the other hand, if he however allows power to shift to the western flank which has never tasted power, it is believed that he may consider his finance Commissioner and old school mate, Idris Asiru or the former president of Nigeria Union of Journalists and a three term senator, Prince Smart Adeyemi.
Whichever way he chooses, political pundits believe he must be extra careful over who he picks as successor as the person must be seen as having the capacity to deliver and must be sharp- minded, focused, acceptable and devoid of tribal and religious bigotry. In the thinking of critical observers, the choice of the candidate may either make or mar the ruling party in the Nov 11 governorship election.
Those who already collected the governorship nomination forms and have been screened include the deputy governor of the state, Edward David Onoja, current Senator representing Kogi west and former National President of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Senator Smart Adeyemi and Abdulkareem Asuku, the Chief of Staff to Governor Yahaya Bello.
Others jostling for the Kogi APC ticket are Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Muritala Yakubu Ajaka, son of the former Governor Abubakar Audu, Prince Shauibu Abubakar Audu, Sanusi Ohiare, former Executive Director, Rural Electrification Fund, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Salami Momodu O. Deedat and Usman Ododo, Auditor General, Local Government.
Also on the primary ballot is the Chairman, Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Crime, Oseni Yakubu, Halima l. Alfa, Momoh Jibrin, the state Accountant general and two other commissioners; Alh. Yusuf Yakubu Okala and the Finance Commissioner, Asiru Idris.
Others are, former Minister of state, Prof. Stephen Ikani Ocheni, a reputable Insurance Broker and Banker, David Adebanji Jimoh, Abubakar Yahaya Achimugu and Idachaba Friday
Secretary to the APC Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke, whose form was obtained on his behalf did not however come up for the screening.