Ahead of the November 11th governorship election in Kogi State, a former lawmaker representing Igalamela-Odolu constituency at the State House of Assembly, Friday Sani Makama has stated the need for Igalas to bury their ethnic agenda.
Makama in an interview noted that recent political realities show Igalas are not ready to reclaim powers despite being the majority.
“It is the fact that, with the population and the number of majority we control in Kogi State, it is definitely an advantage democratically for Igala extraction to reclaim power. But you know it is a democratic process. A democratic process does not just end at having a majority. The democratic process has factors that make or mar it. Until the protocol that makes or mar is put together properly, with good strategy, that is when the majority can win the election.
“But in a situation where the majority is yet to put their arsenals together, you will not expect the majority to reclaim power. Just like you see it in the last primaries of both the APC and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and other political parties, it is clear to anyone who is reasonable that the Kogi East Senatorial District that controls the majority in Kogi State was not ready to reclaim power.
“From the primaries, you can see the numbers of Igala extractions from Kogi East that contested the primary election. Same thing happened in the PDP and other smaller political parties. So it is evident that the majority has not been able to annex its potential to reclaim power.
“It is not strange in democratic Governance. In Nigeria, we are divided into geopolitical zones. If you go to the Northern part of Nigeria, it is dominated and controlled by the majority who are Hausas. Of course you will discover that the Fulani, a minority in Northern Nigeria, is ruling Nigeria. This is exactly evidence of the inability of the majority to put its potentials together to reclaim power. That is exactly what happened to the people of Kogi East Senatorial districts.
“The All Progressives Congress, APC, primary election held in Kogi State was one of the most peaceful, transparent, free and fair elections that I have ever seen since I joined politics several years ago. You are a journalist and you went round to see things for yourself. It all went smoothly across the 21 Local Governments of the State. The smooth process led to the emergence of our candidate, Usman Ododo,” he said.
Makama stated that the administration of Governor Yahaya Bello has done more compared to when his kinsmen were in government.
He described the Governor as a detribalized leader who is keen about the unity of Kogi State.
“Under Yahaya Bello, Muri was appointed the Deputy National Publicity Secretary. Are we talking of Prof. Stephen Ocheni who was a minister? It was all thanks to Governor Bello’s effort. Under Bello, many Igala sons and daughters were appointed into key positions. In a gathering of prominent Igala people, the late Attah Igala changed the name of Alhaji Yahaya Bello.
“In his statement, he said what Igala could not do for Igala, is what an Ebira Man has done for the Igala by making Prof. Ocheni a minister. And there, he re-crowned the Governor with the Igala name.
“He said from today, your name is changed from Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello to Alhajia Yahaya Adoza Eleojo Bello. Eleojo means God’s gift. At what point did Yahaya Bello become a devil that we should not relate with him.
“He championed the appointment of many Igalas into key political offices in Kogi State and Nigeria in general. Is it because the pendulum has changed from them? It is now that the man has now become a Satan and should be described as the deadly disease, Ebola,” he said.
