Kogi guber poll: Another season of ethnic politics, endorsements

The upcoming gubernatorial elections in Kogi State, scheduled for November 11 this year, herald ethnic clashes in which the electorate can vote for their relatives.

Since the outcome of the gubernatorial primaries held in April this year, the race has turned into an ethnic contest with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), producing Alhaji Usman Ododo, of the Senate District Central Kogi, which has Ebira as the dominant ethnic group, while the People's Democratic Party (PDP) ticket went to Senator Dino Melaye of the Okun ethnic group from Kogi West Senatorial District.

The district also has a strong contender in Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), whose party won two of Kogi West's three federal constituencies and a Kogi State Assembly seat in the elections of February/March. Also in the running from Kogi West is the dynamic young entrepreneur, Olayinka Braimoh of Action Alliance (AA). Although Alhaji Muri Ajaka, who represents the Social Democratic Party (SDP), is one of seven candidates from Kogi East (Igala/Bassa), he is widely regarded as the "consensus" candidate in the area.

Usman Ododo and the Occupy FactorAfter his relative's eight-year rule, Governor Yahaya Bello, Alhaji Usman Ododo, Kogi Central's APC candidate, sets out on a path to a possible eight-year-long reign on the Ebira.

He is believed to be at home at Kogi Central, his farm, where he is the only candidate. No other political party fielded a candidate from this area, which got half of the winning votes for the APC in the 2019 elections. Ododo may also have the exercise factor in its favor, as it relies on the overwhelming support from Governor Bello, incumbents and CPA structures in all three senatorial districts, as well as anticipated federal power.

At last count, his side has gained more converts from the main opposition PDP, especially from Kogi West. Some prominent politicians, who used to make the decisions in the PDP, have recently collapsed in broadly supporting the APC candidate.

The Forum of Kogi State Education Secretaries, however, applauded their choice of vice-presidential candidate in the person of Comrade Joel Salifu Oyibo, a primary school teacher from Kogi East, as the “good choice for ordinary people".

Ododo served as state auditor general in charge of councils. Therefore, choosing Oyibo as a running mate is also seen as a subtle way to appease primary school teachers and local government employees across the state, who have faced erratic salaries and percentiles over the seven years of life. administration.

Adeyemi

Smart Adeyemi factor and consequences of the APC primaries The Okuns agitated the fact that after eight years, the power of Ebira should return to them. That didn't happen, as Ododo, another Ebira, got the nod from Bello as the APC flag bearer.

However, the decision did not go down well with some Kogi West party leaders, including Senator Adeyemi, one of the aggrieved participants in the disputed APC gubernatorial primaries.

Party sources said Adeyemi's continued silence was a cause for concern for Ododo and Kogi APC. He is in court challenging Ododo's emergence as an APC candidate.

His position was that the primary election, which produced Ododo, was contrary to Article 177 of the 1999 Constitution and also contrary to Articles 29 and 84 of the Electoral Law, as well as Article 20 of the constitution of the APC.

Speaking to The Guardian, Dr. Tom Ohikere, Editor of APC News Online, said: "If my party, APC, is to win the next governorship...