Osun treatment for Kogi election

 

• as tension envelopes the state

 

By Paul Idowu, Lokoja

Plans are afoot by the powers that be, to ensure the repeat of the Osun State saga in this Saturday’s Kogi State Governorship election.

Last year’s Osun Governorship Election which eventually saw the emergence of Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressive Congress (APC),was believed to have been won by the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) , Senator Ademola Adeleke.

At the first ballot, Adeleke won with about 500 votes, a margin that was  upturned by the APC at the rerun through the use of federal might  which led to global outcry.

For the coming Saturday’s election in Kogi, pundits are of the opinion that, in a free and fair contest, there is no way the incumbent Governor, Yahaya Bello, would emerge, owing to his underwhelming performance since assumption of office.

Apart from backlog of unpaid salaries running into many months, the state is said to be dotted with infrastructural decay.

Besides, the governor is said to be enmeshed in varying degrees of crises with different sectors in the state such as traditional institution, labour, academic, civil servants, artisans, among others.

Build up to the Saturday’s election, major stakeholders within and outside APC in Kogi State, kicked against the candidature of Bello.

To this effect, several advertorials were put up in major national dailies to vent their anger on the candidature of Bello, the governor.

Despite their presentations about the candidature of the incumbent, the party leaders in Abuja in league with some unnamed individuals in the presidency, ensured his emergence as the APC flag bearer.

Specifically, sources close to the Presidency confided in Business247News  that with the level of agitation and disquiet among the people in the state, there is no way Yahaya  Bello who is also somewhat from the minority,  would win the election without being given what a source termed a Third Hand” assistance.

To this effect, the Osun Model of election that produced Oyetola in a controversial manner,  was said to have been adopted by the Abuja Forces, to bail  out  Bello from being disgraced at the polls come Saturday, 16th November, 2019.

We further learnt that several options were said to have been laid on the table in this direction which include prevention of the emergence of the opposition by whatever means, likelihood of a rerun and /or the litigation approach.

According to our informed sources, though the opposition in the state are being monitored, they (sources), however, have the fear that the plans of the ruling party could as well hit the rock on account of human factor.

Although 24 political parties are jostling for the coveted number one seat in the state, Bello’s main challenger is. Musa Wada of the PDP who hails from the Igala area of the state believed to be the majority.

The approval the sum of N10 billion to Kogi as refund for projects executed on behalf of the Federal Government by the Senate on Wednesday, November 13, 2019, four days to the election, also exacerbate the fear that the Federal Government is determined to ensure that Kogi State does not slip from the grips of the ruling party no matter what.

This already sets tongues wagging on the alleged plans to adopt the Osun model in prosecuting the Saturday Kogi election.