•Meet candidates wishing to mount the saddle in Bayelsa, Imo, Kogi
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa; George Onyejiuwa, Owerri; and Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
No thanks to governorship legal tussles that disrupted the electoral calendars in three Nigerian states – Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa – voters will be returning to their respective polling units to choose their next governors, almost eight months after their counterparts in some other states of the federation exercised their franchise.
About 5,409,438 registered voters in the three states might be thronging the 10,510 polling units in 649 electoral wards of 56 local government areas to cast their ballots in electing the governors.
In Kogi State, 19 candidates are on the ballot to replace Governor Yahayah Bello of the APC after serving two terms in office. The 19 candidates vying for the position include a woman, Suleiman Fatima of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Voters will be hoping that today’s governorship election will be better than the November 16, 2019 election in the state trailed by violence which disrupted many polling units, with thugs snatching ballot boxes and brandishing lethal weapons with nonchalance.
On the same day, the 2023 Imo State governorship election will take place, with the incumbent governor, Hope Uzodimma, slugging it out with opposition parties. The off-cycle election was necessitated by the annulment of the former governor, Chief Emeka Ihedioha’s victory in the 2019 election in Imo. Besides, the election will put to test the performances of Governor Hope Uzodimma’s government in the last four years.
Over 30 political parties will be contesting with Governor Uzodimma. Like Kogi, Imo is also noted for violence, both electoral and political, with non-state actors terrorising the citizens and disrupting voting process in some areas.
Only about 20 per cent of registered voters in Imo State participated in the last general election as a result of insecurity in the state. With recent security successes recorded in parts of the state by the state government, INEC will be hoping for a reversal of the disturbing voters apathy in Imo.
In Bayelsa, INEC has confirmed 20 political parties to contest the governorship election today, including the incumbent, Governor Diri, and former governor, Timipre Silva, whose candidacy was earlier removed by INEC following a court decision.
The three governorship elections will serve as a litmus test for the INEC leadership following the hue and cry that greeted the recent general elections in the country, as well as how credible the Tinubu administration will be since its inauguration on May 29, 2022.
INEC has already promised that, as a result of the glitch noticed on March 18 governorship election regarding IREV result portals across 28 states in the federation, the equipments would be deployed effectively in the governorship elections today. The dice is cast
In this report by our correspondents in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States, Saturday Sun brings you what you should know about the major candidates going to the electoral battle today.
Bayelsa:
Diri, Sylva, Eradiri slug it out
After months of preparation, it is time for political parties in Bayelsa State to slug it out in the governorship elections which gets underway today.
According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 16 political parties are participating in the election.
But there are actually three of the candidates that are considered very serious. They are the incumbent governor, Senator Douye Diri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), former Governor Timipre Sylva of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Udengs Eradiri of the Labour Party (LP).
Douye Diri (PDP)
Senator Douye Diri, popularly known as SDD, is the incumbent governor who was sworn-in in February 2020 after the Supreme Court sacked the winner of the November 16 2019 governorship election, Mr David Lyon.
Diri from Sampou in Kolokuma/ Opokuma Local Government Area cut his political teeth from being the Organising Secretary of the Ijaw National Congress (INC). He thereafter joined the political group of Mr Ndutimi Alaibe.
He was Executive Director Centre for Youth Development under a former governor, late Diepreye Solomon Alamieyeseigha. After the impeachment of Alamieyeseigha and the subsequent harmonization/ sharing of political posts between Jonathan and Alaibe, Diri emerged from the Alaibe camp to become the Commissioner for Sports, a position he held from 2005 to 2007.
In 2012, after the emergence of Henry Seriake Dickson as governor, he was principal executive secretary from where he contested the House of Representatives ticket to represent Yenagoa/ Kolokuma /Opokuma.
After four years in the Green Chambers, Diri was backed by Dickson to contest the Bayelsa Central Senatorial election after the then incumbent Senator Emmanuel Paulker was stopped.
He was yet to finish his tenure in the Red Chambers when against all odds, Dickson drafted him into the governorship race and ensured he emerged as the party’s candidate in November 2019.
Diri is generally loved for his peaceful disposition and his predisposition to put Bayelsa first in his policy, programmes and relationship with political actors from the state.
Timipre Sylva (APC)
Sylva, popularly known as the Pigatin and the Opu Abadi of Bayelsa politics from Okpoma in Brass Local Government Area is an all-round political tactician known for his astuteness. A graduate of English and Literary Studies from the University of Port Harcourt, Sylva fresh out of the university, was elected as the member to represent the Nembe area in Old Rivers State House of Assembly.
Since then, he has not looked back in his quest for a flourishing career in politics. After a hiatus, he was appointed the Political Adviser to the late Alamieyeseigha in 1999. He would later resign his position to take up the role of Special Adviser to Dr Edmund Daukoru who was then the Minister of Petroleum.
In 2006, he resigned to contest the 2006 governorship election and was distant second with 34 votes after Dr Goodluck Jonathan. However, as providence would have it, Jonathan was elevated to be running mate to Yar Adua and the mantle fell on Sylva to replace Jonathan as the governorship candidate.
He won the 2007 governorship election which was later annulled and he won the re-run again in 2008. Sylva was instrumental to the Presidential Amnesty Programme which he packaged as governor of Bayelsa State.
He would later fall out with the then President Jonathan which cost him his re-election in 2012.
In 2015, as the leader of the APC he fought and got the ticket of the party but was defeated by Dickson in the governorship election.
In 2019, Sylva emerged the Minister of State Petroleum and was instrumental to the emergence of David Lyon as the candidate and later governor-elect.
For those that have come across him, he has been described as a polished politician who is very calculative.
Udengs Eradiri (LP)
Eradiri from Agudama- Ekpetiama in Yenagoa Local Government Area caught his political teeth from student union activism at the University of Benin. Thereafter, he got involved in the activities of the Ijaw Youth Council and at various times was the IYC Central Chairman, spokesman and later President of the foremost Ijaw Youth Organisation.
He was also a former commissioner during the administration of Dickson. He was also SA Youth to the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, a position he used in helping many youths in the Niger Delta region.
Eradiri is so passionate and articulate about a cause he believes in. This he has demonstrated in the various ventures he has been involved in.
Flashpoints in Bayelsa
As the elections get underway, the eight local government areas are very prone to violence and require heavy presence of security agencies to forestall breakdown of law and order.
Yenagoa
This is the state capital which has the highest voting strength because of the high presence of residents, many of whom are not from the state but are voters. The election in Yenagoa is going to be tough considering the fact that whoever wins big in Yenagoa will have an edge in the election. Yenagoa is a major battle ground for the three leading candidates.
Kolokuma/Opokuma
It is the smallest local government area with very high stakes. This is the home local government of Governor Douye Diri. In the 2023 election, the APC made inroads and won a ward in Odi which was considered a dent to the PDP. Since the beginning of electioneering a lot of pressure has been exerted on Kolokuma/ Opokuma. Though a stronghold of the PDP, APC has made massive inroads. There have already been reported cases of violence in the area.
Brass
This is the home local government of Sylva. It has always been a flash point since the APC emerged a strong opposition in 2015. There is no election in Brass that has been devoid of violence. There is massive support for the APC and the PDP in the local government with big names in each of the divides. Past efforts to curtail Sylva in his base have always been resisted.
Nembe
In 2019, a few days before the governorship election, violence erupted in Nembe which claimed lives. And in the build up to the 2023 election, there is apprehension already in Nembe. Nembe has two sides: Nembe City and Nembe Bassambiri. While Nembe City is split between support for PDP and APC, Nembe Bassambiri is believed wholly an APC stronghold. The election is going to be fiercely contested in the area.
Southern Ijaw
Before it was displaced by Yenagoa, Southern Ijaw used to have the highest voting strength in the state. This the home local government of Mr Joshua Maclver, running mate to Sylva. Southern Ijaw has the highest number of ex-militant leaders. Aside from that, most of the communities are predominantly coastal, which makes the terrain difficult. Elections have also been violent in Southern Ijaw which has claimed lives. Big wigs of the PDP and APC all have a point to prove and the likelihood of violence is very high.
Ogbia
This is the home local government of former President Jonathan and the MD NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku. During the March 2023 election, violence was recorded in Ogbia with ballot papers burnt. Though Ogbia can safely be described as the stronghold of the PDP, the appointment of Ogbuku as MD NDDC might have changed the political outlook.
Sagbama/ Ekeremor
The two local government areas in Bayelsa West used to have a history of political violence. Though former Governor Henry Seriake Dickson has stabilised the political situation in Sagbama, Ekeremor is still a hotbed. Flashes of violence have been reported and things could snowball into a major crisis if security agencies are not proactive.
Kogi:
Those seeking to
replace Bello
Senator Dino Daniel Melaye (PDP)
Senator Dino Daniel Melaye was born on January 7 1974. He is a native of Aiyetoro Gbede in Ijumu local government area of Kogi State.
He is the first born of his parents and his father is said to be an Elder in The Apostolic church.
He studied Geography at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he graduated in 1999 and was a students’ union activist. Of recent he obtained an LLB (Hons) at a private university.
A very vocal politician, he contested the House of Reps seat in 2007 and won under the People’s Democratic Party representing Kabba Bunu/ Ijumu Federal Constituency.
He was also elected Senator between 2015 and 2019 representing Kogi West Senatorial District under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He was re-elected in 2019 as a Senator, but his tenure was short-lived. At the tribunal, Smart Adeyemi was declared the rightful winner of the election.
Dino Melaye was a very close friend of the outgoing governor Yahaya Bello and was indeed one of the few people that worked for his enthronement in his first term after the sudden death of Prince Abubakar Audu who has already won the 2015 governorship election.
However, both Bello and Dino fell apart few months after Bello’s first term in office.
Murtala Yakubu Ajaka (SDP)
Murtala Yakubu Ajaka was born on February 13, 1978 in Ajaka, Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
He obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Sociology at the University of Abuja.
His foray into partisan politics, started with his election as Deputy State Secretary of the now-defunct Action Congress (AC), FCT Chapter in 2005
In December 2006, he was appointed National Assembly Liaison Officer of the Action Congress (AC). When the process of merging ACN, ANPP and CPC into the present APC in 2013 began, Hon Murtala Yakubu Ajaka was appointed the coordinator of one of the committees in recognition of his sterling political and inter-personal credentials.
An Igala man, Muritala Ajaka was later appointed Special Adviser to the then National Chairman of APC in 2020, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni, the governor of Yobe State. He was later elected unopposed as Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC at the party’s National Convention on March 26 2022.
Muritala Ajaka later left the APC after the governorship primary when he did not clinch the ticket and thereby went to pitch his tent with the Social Democratic Party where he is now the governorship candidate.
Muritala Ajaka was also said to be very close to the outgoing governor Yahaya Bello who he was said to have helped tremendously in 2019 during the re election of Governor Bello. The duo parted ways and became arch enemies after the failed presidential bid of Governor Bello at the APC National Congress in 2022.
Alhaji Ahmed Ododo (APC)
Alhaji Usman Ahmed Ododo was born in Okene, Okene Local Government area of Kogi State,
Ododo, who hails from the same local government area as Governor Yahaya Bello, Ododo had his first school leaving certificate in 1987 and obtained his Senior Secondary Certificate Examination result in 1993.
Alhaji Usman Ododo thereafter proceeded to the Federal Polytechnic, Bida, Niger State, where he obtained a National Diploma in Accounting in 1997 and a Higher National Diploma in Accounting in 2001.
He later attended the Achievers University Owo, Ondo State from where he obtained a Bachelors’ of Science Degree (BSc) in Accounting with special attention on Forensics in 2014.
In 2022, Alhaji Usman Ododo bagged an MSc in Accounting from Salem University, Lokoja. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Finance & Control of Nigeria (CIFCN) and a member of many professional bodies.
He had a stint at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) as its Manager of Finance, and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria PLC, Kontagora as Assistant Manager Revenue, and Disbursement Officer.
By 2016 when Alhaji Yahaya Bello emerged Governor of Kogi State, Ododo was appointed Auditor General for local governments of Kogi State.
Hon Leke Joseph Abejide (ADC)
Hon Leke Joseph Abejide was born on May 8 1975 in Alu, Yagba East Local Government area of Kogi State.
He obtained his Primary School Leaving Certificate at LSMB Primary school, Alu-Igbagun. He then proceeded to ALU community secondary school in 1991.
He also attended the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, where he graduated from the Department of Economics. He later bagged an MSc in Economics at the Bayero University (BUK) Kano where he obtained his Masters Degree in Economics.
Abejide is the chairman of Anyem Int Ltd, a private clearing company. He is an active member and patron of Association of Clearing and Forwarding agents. He is seen as a renowned and resourceful entrepreneur with excellent record of success in business.
He is also a philanthropist who has been fees of indigent students writing the West African School Certificate Examinations and helping widows for the past eight years in his local government. He later graduated to paying the WAEC fees of all final year students in his Yagba Federal Constituency and later spread it to all the five local government areas in Okun land.
This magnanimity propelled people to urge him to join partisan politics and he won the House of Representatives seat of the Yagba Federal Constituency in 2019 under the platform of the African Democratic Congress and was re-elected in February 2023.
He is the chairman, House Committee on Customs and Excise.
Olayinka Braimoh (AA)
Olayinka Adenehon Braimoh was born in the mid 70s in Kabba. He is a native of Akutupa- Kiri in Kabba-Bunu Local Government area of Kogi State. He trained as an Electrical/ Electronic engineer and capped it with a Masters degree from a foreign university.
He is a successful entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, who is widely known for his outstanding contributions to the real estate industry in Nigeria as the founding CEO of Hall7 Real Estate Limited, a renowned real estate development company.
Olayinka Braimoh’s impressive skill set encompasses thought leadership, real estate expertise, business strategy, and marketing communications. He has relentlessly pursued learning opportunities, supplementing his engineering background with various trainings and an MBA from Business School Netherlands, earning national and international recognition for his remarkable business acumen and receiving numerous awards.
For over 20 years, Olayinka Braimoh has established himself as a visionary by introducing innovative ideas that are transforming the African real estate landscape. His philanthropic work is reflected in the Olayinka Braimoh Initiative, which he founded, and he also has diverse business interests across other sectors.
Olayinka, though a green horn in partisan politics, has a strong oratorical power and a unique campaign pattern with his STAT agenda.
Imo:
The leading candidates
In Imo, the three major contenders are Senator Hope Uzodimma of the All Progressives Congress (APC); Senator Samuel Anyanwu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Senator Athan Achonu of the Labour Party (LP).
Senator Hope Uzodimma (APC)
The current governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma is from Omuma in Oru East Local Government in the Orlu Zone (Imo West). He has been in the political turf of the state since the return of this fourth Republic in 1999. The Supreme Court on January 14 2020 sacked the then governor, Emeka Ihedioha and installed Uzodimma governor.
Before then, Uzodimma had been a two-term Senator who represented the Imo West between 2011 and 2019. He is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the then ruling People’s Democratic Party and was also elected member of the upper legislative chamber of the National Assembly under the People’s Democratic Party in 2011. He was reelected in 2015. He left PDP for the APC in 2018.
Senator Uzodimma has faced criticism from the opposition parties mainly as a result of the intractable insecurity in the state. He has, however claimed that the insecurity was being sponsored by the opposition. He has run his campaign for re-election on the strength of his achievements in the last three and half years.
Senator Samuel Anyanwu (PDP)
The PDP candidate is currently the National Secretary of the Party. He has served as a two-time elected local government Chairman of Ikeduru Local Government Area of Imo State and a two-time member representing Ikeduru State Constituency. In 2015, he was elected the Senator representing Imo East. He contested the PDP governorship primary and lost to Hon Emeka Ihedioha who was declared winner by the electoral commission but was eventually sacked by the Supreme Court.
Form this election, Senator Anyanwu got the party’s ticket on a platter following the sudden withdrawal by his major rival, Ihedioha from the governorship primary election. So, Senator Anyanwu, who is popularly called SamDaddy, is regarded as a formidable actor in the politics of the state.
Senator Athan Achonu (LP)
The billionaire businessman and political actor is the candidate of the Labour Party in the state after defeating his major rival, Major General Lincoln Jack Ogunewe who everybody had thought would clinch the ticket.
Senator Achonu was a one-term Senator who represented Imo North. Achonu, who is popularly known as the One-Arm General (Agu Otu Aka) is from Ehime Mbano Local Government area in the Okigwe Senatorial Zone. He is the founder of Nejech Engineering Limited, Okeabaram Resources Limited, Mathan Nigeria Limited, Orient Refining Nigeria Limited and Chia Enterprises.
The LP candidate has always boasted that he is the only person amongst the governorship candidates who has investments in the state.
Major General Lincoln Jack Ogunewe (LP)
Major-General Jack Ogunewe is the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA) in today’s Imo State governorship election. Of the frontline contenders, the retired top military officer from Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government area of the state in the Owerri zone is the only one who could be described as a neophyte in politics. That, many people, said, was apparent in the manner he was easily displaced by the supporters of the more experienced Senator Athan Achonu in the Imo State Labour Party governorship primary election. And, of course, he is one of the youngest among the major contenders. He was a former Defence Adviser to the Nigeria mission to the United Nations. He retired as the Chief of Policy and Plans in the Nigeria Army. He is described as a man that is much loved by the people.