By Stephen Ojate
News have filtered in that the former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has shown interest in Kogi Central Senatorial election ahead of 2027 general election.
To me, this is not news as I long envisaged that the immediate Governor of Kogi State will one day declare interest for the Senate in view of the fact that no former Governor in Nigeria has quietly quitted the political atmosphere without showing interest for the Senate. The countless numbers of Governors in the Senate led credence to this as they have made the exalted house as their retirement abode.
So, the declaration of Alhaji Yahaya Bello who is the immediate Governor of Kogi State does not make any difference to me. Thus, if the wish of former Governor comes to pass, the likely political gladiators to watch ahead of Kogi central senatorial election will be Natasha Akpoti and Alhaji Yahaya Bello. I wish to remind my reader that 2 years to the last general election in Nigeria, I visited my home Town, Ihima in Kogi State to see for myself what Natasha was doing at the grassroot in preparation for the general election. I thereafter put up an article to reveal the situation of things at home and this article was wrongly perceived by those at the corridor of power. In the article, I gave an insight to the ruling party in the State to be wary of Natasha noting that she might win should she declare interest for the Senate.
My boldness to speak the truth in spite that I have long been writing in defense of their administration costs me a lot. One certain political office holder in the state who had been offering supportive hands to me on different occasions discountenanced the financial support, blocked my access to him through phone call, WhatsApp and his office. I thank God I am still living and surviving till date and this is one reason I will never compromise my standard in speaking the truth no matter whose ox is gored. The point to ponder on is had Natasha Akpoti not won the last general election when they were not ready to hear the truth?
As the 2027 election draws nearer and now that Alhaji Yahaya Bello has shown interest for the same senatorial seat in which his prodigy lost out to Natasha Akpoti, the question for my reader is that” has anything changed since then given the assurance to the former governor in the State that he might win”?
I am not a member of PDP nor one of Natasha’s supporters. Notwithstanding, Natasha Akpoti within this period has so built a very strong political base which will be very difficult for Alhaji Yahaya Bello to dismantle. One interesting thing is that Natasha Akpoti has not been carried away by her victory in the last general election to distance herself from the people at home. She has been very regular and had inculcated the habit of compensating and motivating all those who stood for her that led to her victory at the Senate. This is not the case with Alhaji Yahaya Bello and All Progressives Congress in Kogi State as their supporters were all abandoned. They were merely used as tools and no motivation of any kind. Even the re-appointment of only those who had all long been in Yahaya Bello’s government to the current administration in the State made the matter worse. This style of re-cycling only those who had served on Yahaya Bello’s government to the current administration causes serious disenchantment among the remaining All Progressives Congress in the State and their supporters.
The favoured people have fed so fat to the extent of no more taking the masses serious again. On account of this, they rarely come home to motivate their grassroot supporters unlike Natasha. No empowerment package to those who commit their time, resources and energy to the ruling party’s victory in the last general election and gubernatorial election in the State. I will not mince words in declaring that if there were anyone still standing with Alhaji Yahaya Bello ahead of his purported senatorial election, they were nobody other than the present crop of political office holders, their families, their close friends and associates. This is one reasons why it will be very difficult for Alhaji Yahaya Bello to win the heart of the masses for their votes in a bid to oust Natasha Akpoti from the Senate.
More also, if Yahaya Bello believes in the power of his money and uses the same persons who have all long benefited from the current administration in the State as his political grassroot mobilizers, he should rest assured that failure at the election awaits him. These pot belly political office holders know nothing like genuine political mobilization. I owe no one any apology for saying this. The Billions of Naira Alhaji Yahaya Bello shall disburse and channel for the election will go into their pockets and not judiciously utilized.
Rather they will take the option of rigging and doctoring the election figures. This will not be the case with Natasha as her present supporters are truly for her and ready to stand for her again at the election day in view of what they have gained from her current victory and her re-election and victory will mean more to them again. On this account, whatever money she will disburse to the Voters will likely get to the voters and no short-change of any kind. Her grassroot mobilizers will keep an eye on the election result even at the point of announcement.
Should Alhaji Yayaya Bello manipulate INEC to declare and announce him winner of the election to the Senate where Natasha wins, he should be reassured that the woman will not rest on her oars by taking legal action to re-claim her victory.
Stephen Ojate is a journalist and public affairs Commentator. He writes from Abuja.