Yekini Jimoh writes on the emergence of Governor Yahaya Bello as the standard bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead the governorship election taking place in the state on November 16 and the hurdles before his second term ambition.
The governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has crossed the first hurdle in his quest to secure a second term in office. His supporters are still savouring his triumph at the governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held last Thursday in Lokoja, the state capital. It was one contest that brought out the best in all the camps that fought for the ticket.
The battle has entered another phase, especially for the governor, who had to be at his wit end to survive the first stanza. He has the Herculean task of appeasing the aggrieved contenders for the ticket, who had deployed a great amount of logistics and manpower in their individual and collective bid to stop the second term ambition of Bello. Therefore, how he handles the delicate issue of reconciliation with those aggrieved camps in the weeks ahead is regarded by observers as crucial to the fate of the APC at the November 16, election proper.
Beyond that is the issue of public perception of the governor. Some of his critics claim he needs to have a rethink about his leadership style because of the divergent views on the impact of his government on the majority of the citizens. His challengers in both the APC and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have consistently turned it into a campaign issue, saying it was a sufficient ground for the electorate to ensure change through the ballot in November. So, Bello and his handler have a big task to change the public perception.
Perhaps, the most arduous task before the governor is the impression that has been created by some individuals and groups that his decision to bring succour to civil servants as the election approaches is whether it is indeed altruistic. Opposing camps have made a political capital from the controversy.
Of course, there is the running battle between the camp of the governor and some external forces, which dates back to his emergence as governor about four years ago. Those forces have remained adamant, as evident throughout the battle for the ticket this time round.
Another issue that posed as a threat to the emergence of Governor Bello as the APC standard bearer in the forthcoming election was the issue of direct or indirect primary which created tension within the party fold in the state. When the APC National Working Committee (NWC) eventually settled for indirect primary to conduct the primary, some aggrieved members of the party approached an Abuja Federal High Court with two suits, seeking to upturn the decision.
How he emerged
The aggrieved members, in the first suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/581/2018, wanted the court to determine the true leaders of the party between the two factions. The second suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/833/2019, queried the decision of the APC NW to adopt indirect primary in choosing the party’s candidate for the forthcoming governorship election. The plaintiffs were of the view that the mode to be adopted for the governorship primary would not be determine while the leadership crisis Kogi APC remained unresolved, with the pendency of the first suit.
However, the Abuja Federal High Court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, dismissed the two suits. In the first judgment, the court dismissed the suit for being statute barred on the grounds that it was not heard within the 180 days stipulated under Section285 (10) of the constitution. The court also held that since the second suit was predicated on the first suit which had been dismissed, it would be unnecessary determining issues raised in it as doing so would merely be an academic exercise.
When the primary was eventually approved, many did not give the governor a chance given the number and calibre of the aspirants who came out to contest for the ticket. Among them were Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin (retd), Hassan Abdullahi Benwa, Muhammed Audu and Babatunde Irukera, among others.
However, Bello eventually proved that he was up to the task, as he tackled headlong some of the problems confronting his administration. The first step he took was the payment the salary of workers and pensioners from the last batch of the bailout he received from the Federal Government.
During the screening exercise, some of the aspirants who were screened out appealed to the APC NWC, which deliberated on the reports of the screening and appeal committees for the exercise. After a comprehensive review of the submissions by the committees, relying on the party’s guidelines and the provisions of the Electoral Act, nine aspirants were finally cleared to contest the indirect primary. The included Governor Bello, Princess Hadiza Ibrahim, Yahaya Odidi Audu, Sani Lulu Abdullahi, Irukera, Abubakar Bashir, Danlami Mohammed, Yakubu Mohammed, Hassan Abdullahi and Ekele Aishat Blessing.
Seven other aspirants did not meet the requirements for participation and were thus screened out, ahead the primary exercise. These included Professor Mohammed Onaili, Usman Jibrin, Mustapha Audu, Rukkaya Ibrahim, General Patrick Akpa Muhammed Abubakar and Unukwu Audu.
Mustapha Audu, who was not pleased with the outcome of the exercise, dragged the APC national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to court, seeking to stop the conduct of the primary. However, Justice Abdul Nicodemus Awulu, in his ruling, refused to stop the Kogi APC governorship primary election.
While Audu headed for the court, another aspirant who was screened out, Vice Admiral Jibrin, said he remained a committed party member, despite having been edged out of the race. Thanking his supporters for their support and show of love, he said: “All the aspirants of APC in Kogi State are real men of courage. So, we have seen this large number as a thing of joy that we are likely to slug it out and fight. The truth is that Kogi State parades high-quality gentlemen who are capable of running the state better.
“But the point I am making is that I have resolved that my aspiration is not a matter for myself. It is a matter for the party. The supremacy of the party is not in doubt. In other words, the issue of our state, which is the place of our birth, is also more important to us than our personal interests. As a result, if the ambition is to serve our people through our party, we must, therefore, resolve to ensure that whatever is the decision of the party becomes supreme.”
On the day of the election, delegates from the 21 local government areas of the state ‘stormed’ the venue of the primary exercise, the Lokoja Confluence Stadium. They were screened and accredited as there was restirction of the movement of people and vehicles by the security agents to nip in the bud any crisis.
When the primary was finally conducted, Bello scored 3, 224 votes, as against Irukera and Hassan Benwa who polled 109 and 44 votes, respectively to come second and third; Yahaya Audu got 10 scored votes; Sani Lulu, seven votes and Bashir Gegu, three votes. Others, including Princess Hadiza Ibrahim, Danlami, Yakubu Mohammed and Blessing Ekele, had no votes.
Meanwhile, Mustapha Audu who went to court to stop the primary expressed his support for Governor Bello as he prayed that he should go on to win the election in the state on November 16.
“Our people truly need a better Kogi State and if Allah says you will complete your tenure, then none can change it. Kogi State needs rapid development on a grand scale and I pray Allah makes this a reality. I want to say that regardless of what has transpired, I am a party man and party decisions are supreme. Though I am not happy about the events, I do not believe in being in two places at the same time therefore I will not be engage in any anti -party activities. For now, I remain a loyal party man,” he said in a statement.
Now that the governor has secured the mandate of the Kogi APC to seek for a second term of office, the question on the lips of observers across the state is, will he be able to deliver the state for the APC in the November 16 governorship election?
and then