Kogi Election Results: How The Battle Was Won And Lost

By Kingsley Fanwo

Never in the history of Kogi politics has a governorship been keener contested. It was an altercation between the power of incumbency and the change hurricane.

In March and April 2015, the opposition party, All Progressives Congress, showed a glimpse of its potency and readiness to take over the mantle of power in the confluence State.

Though many had written off the APC as a fluke and a beneficiary of the Buhari flood of followership, the 2015 governorship election may have heralded a setback to the political dominance of the state by the Peoples Democratic Party which has governed the state for 12 years.

The loss by Capt Idris Wada would go down in history as the second, after Prince Abubakar Audu lost the 2003 governorship election to Alh. Ibrahim Idris of the PDP.

Audu contested on the platform of the All Nigerian Peoples Party.

While the Victory of Audu may not have come as a surprise given the strength of the opposition party in Kogi State, not many people gave the governor-elect the slightest chance to pull through such a strong showing across the three senatorial districts of the state.

How Wada Lost the Poll

The November 21 governorship election shook the political pillars of the state. Bitter rivalry between the two leading contestants led to hate campaigns and sometimes, violence.

Workers Welfare
Top on the list of the factors that led to the fall of Wada was his inability to pay workers salaries, especially council workers and primary school teachers.

With the population multipliers of these segments of the workforce, it is practically impossible to win any election without the support of the labour community.

Though the governor explained the reasons behind the inability of Local Government Councils to pay their workers, many of the workers felt the governor was the factor behind their inability to receive salaries.

It is obvious that the instability in the global oil market has seriously affected the revenue accruing to the states.

But the failure to pay workers’ salaries virtually killed Wada’s dream for a second term.

Political DisconnectionAnalysts feel the governor didn’t do enough to play the politics of stomach infrastructure. The decision of the governor to choose competence over politics may have played a role in his failure.

Insiders informed Vanguard that the governor didn’t pay due attention to the political segment of his governance. A source who craved anonymity said the governor didn’t behave like someone who wanted a second term.

He said: “At a time, we thought this government was not interested in second term. The governor didn’t do enough to keep the PDP family together. He was completely disconnected from all of us and the result is what we have seen today.

“Though I didn’t believe we could lose this election, we have lost and we need to regroup to face the future. The people of Kogi State has made a big mistake by voting Audu. We will be back in 2019 but the plan must start from now”.

Sack of Elected Council Officers

The sack of elected Council Chairmen and Councillors in December 2014 by an order of a High Court was perceived by the Chairmen as the handiwork of the governor.

Earlier, the Chairman of Dekina Local Government Area, Mohammed Ali was impeached by the councillors. The failure of the governor to intervene led to unrest between the governor and the former Council Chairmen.

Mohammed Ali was the chairman of the Conference of Northern Local Government Chairmen. That put the governor at loggerheads with the youthful but influential activist turned politician.

After appealing the judgement of the High Court which sacked the chairmen, the Appeal Court ordered their immediate reinstatement. However, political exigencies ensured the order couldn’t be honoured as many of the governor already had their second foot in the APC in protest.

Eventually, no fewer than nine former Local Government Chairmen defected to the APC, thereby fortifying the chances of the opposition party to win the governorship election.

The Bailout Blackout

The failure of the State Government to access the approved 50 billion naira bailout for the payment of salaries, contributed to its failure.

It may not be impossible that the opposition APC used its federal relevance to stop the release of the bailout in order to continue to discredit the governor for failure to pay salaries.

Many of the supporters of the governors had sensed the political implications of owing workers in an election period. Today, their fears have been justified as the Kogi workers turned against their governor.

The Credibility of the Poll

From information gathered across the state, the Independent National Electoral Commission conducted a free and fair election in Kogi. Materials were delivered early enough and officials of the commission showed a high sense of responsibility and transparency.

However, there were flashes of violence in some parts of the state. Thugs were also allegedly imported from Edo and Osun States to intimidate voters.

Will Audu Govern or Rule?

Since the declaration of Prince Abubakar Audu as governor-elect, residents have been facing a mixed reality. While some are celebrating the end of the Wada era, some are apprehensive of Audu’s style of leadership.

Many in the state see Audu as an Emperor with little regard to workers and the populace. Many of his opponents see him as an arrogant ruler.

However, Prince Abubakar Audu restated it many times during his electioneering that he has learnt his lessons and will be a better leader.

How he is able to fulfil this promise and meet the immediate needs of his people will be seen in the months and years to come. Using the current momentum of charismatic followership will surely relaunch the state to the path of progress.

Will Kogi Miss Capt Idris Wada?

Regardless of the outcome of the governorship election, Capt Idris Wada will be remembered for his modest contributions to the development of Kogi State in the areas of agriculture, youth empowerment, women empowerment, education, healthcare and tourism.

The outgoing governor has been a humble and lovable leader with a deep sense of responsibility. His Deputy, Arc. Abayomi Awoniyi will be missed in the area of his professional contributions to infrastructural development of Kogi State and his sense of loyalty.

With the inception of a new administration, Kogi has been given the opportunity to start all over and become the Tiger if North Central.

Culled From The Vanguard