#KogiGovRace: Meet top contenders for APC Gubernatorial ticket

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As the first term administration of Governor Idris Wada of Kogi State winds down, the quest for the coveted seat of power at the Luggard House in Lokoja has picked up.

Expectedly, the contenders for the top job are more in the camp of the All Progressives Congress (APC), largely because of the overwhelming goodwill the party enjoyed from the Kogi electorate during the last general election.

The incumbent administration comes to an end on January 27, 2016. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixed November 21 for the governorship election that would usher in a new dispensation in the state.

From all indications, the APC in the confluence state has the election to lose. A combined effect of Governor Wada’s lackluster performance in the last three years, the waning fortunes of PDP in the state and a possible “bandwagon” effect arising from the goodwill enjoyed by the APC in their last electoral outing in Kogi when the party won all three senatorial seats has made it that whoever wins the APC governorship primaries could possibly go on to become the next governor of the state. This is why a chronicle of the APC governorship ticket contenders became necessary.

When the roll call of the APC gladiators are called, one name that should rank above all else is Prince Abubakar Audu. For a man who has been governor of the state at two different dispensations in the earlier history of Kogi State, Prince Audu is the leader of APC in the state and a repository of influence within the politics of the confluence state.

Audu, a somewhat maverick politician rose through the ranks of grassroots politics, having served in the Old Benue State as commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning, to become a fiery national figure due to his comparatively sterling performance as governor of Kogi State. The popular politician who has a background in Accountancy has contested elections serially since he lost to former governor Ibrahim Idris in 2003.

Coming from Kogi East district which have laid claim to the governorship seat since the creation of the state in 1992 is an added advantage to the political colossus.

Prince Abubakar’s major disadvantage in the election is the allegation of corruption against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which could easily be used by his opponents.

Ranking similarly in popular appeal across Kogi State as far as the governorship election is concerned is a young entrepreneur called Yahaya Bello from the Kogi Central district. The former staff of Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commissions popularly referred to as “Fair Plus,” has his youthful appeal to his advantage.

This contender for APC ticket is cutting his teeth in this race but many in the state regard him as a dark horse in the race. He has been endorsed by several political interest groups in the state including APC Renaissance, APC Youth Movement and several sections of both Kogi West and East districts.

The mention of Senator Dino Melaye resonates across the political horizon. “Dino,” as he is nationally acclaimed was a former member of the House of Representatives who just got elected into the Senate at the last election after defeating then incumbent Senator Smart Adeyemi.

Senator Melaye has expressed interest in furthering his political trajectory to the Luggard House on the platform of APC and is being perceived as a “strong contender with a huge chance if you consider how he has navigated his way into political reckoning,” according to Muktar Isa, a grassroots politician from Idah local government of the state. Dino’s undoing is his being perceived as “disloyal” to APC interest over his role in the emergence of Senate President Bukola Saraki against the popular wishes of the party.

Another strong contender for the APC ticket is a retired Air Vice Marshal of the Nigerian Air Force, Salihu Atawodi. He was among PDP chieftains who defected to APC shortly before the last general election and is considered one of those to watch in the contest.

Enter Senator Nurudeen Abatemi-Usman, popularly referred to as “Deen” across the state. He is the immediate past senator representing Kogi Central where he unsuccessfully made a bid to return under the platform of the Progressives Peoples Alliance after PDP denied him ticket. He was a vocal supporter of President Buhari in the last presidential election and is being accorded significant recognition within the APC.

Though Senator Nicholas Ugbane has been arrested and released by the EFCC for his alleged role in a bungled power scam when he was chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, his expression of interest to be candidate in the coming governorship election has received remarkable attention. His major problem could be his perception as “Abuja politician” by a section of the Kogi electorate.

Another contender for Kogi governorship election is a reputable journalist turned politician from Kogi Central by the name of Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo. The erstwhile Special Adviser on Media to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has been making the news recently and asserting his chances.

A pharmacist, Aliyu Zakari Jiya, a former governorship aspirant under the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is another contender to be considered for his worth. As a founding member of APC in Kogi State, the stakes favour him.

James Ocholi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and chieftain of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), is another strong contender from the eastern extraction of the state with great chance.

Of equal worth is Senator Alex Kadiri from Kogi East who recently joined APC from another party. He represented Kogi East at the Senate between 1999 and 2003 and since has remained relevant in the scheme of things in Kogi State.

The issue that would be most paramount as the primary elections looms is an agitation of power rotation by Kogi West and Central who are reportedly seeking avenues to “collaborate” towards taking power from the eastern flank of the state. It is worthy of note that the Eastern Kogi district has held on to power since the creation of the state by military President Ibrahim Babangida in August 1991.

– Anthony wrote in from Abuja