By Dada Ahmed.
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Ordinarily, the less than a kilometer road from Radio Kogi to the Lord House, Lokoja,which is the seat of power of the state, by any Nigerian road standard, is smooth enough to accommodate a seamless journey.
The dual carriage road, adorned with street lights and other alluring features, is comparatively the delight of motorists and other road users plying the road as most of agree that the facility is the type to beat in the course of assessing the value of “legacy projects” the current administration will be leaving behind for posterity.
Ironically, the same road seems posing many problems for politicians in the state to ply as the November 11, D-day for the election of the governor for the next political dispensation gathers momentum.
As politicians warm to ply the road with the next governor enroute to the Lugard House, through election, come November 11,2023 and January 2024,when a governor will be sworn in, experience has shown that political intolerance and other divisive factors are beginning to threaten such collective the resolve of the people of the state to have a smooth electioneering process.
lntolerance, in whatever facet of human calling it comes, is an ill-will that blows nobody any good, not to talk of crisis, a situation depicting critical phase in the life man or society.
Taking a critical look at the concept and effects of intolerance in society, an anonymous author on Google explains the word in the following way.
He says: “Intolerance breeds separation, misunderstanding, and hostility between groups.
“When groups have no opportunity to settle their disagreements by discussion, they are apt to resort to fighting.
“Intolerance, therefore, plays a leading part in fostering civic disorders, and especially in fostering revolution.”
The definition of intolerance as given above, when analyzed within the context of the political atmosphere in any organized society, such as Kogi state, gives peace-loving citizens and other residents of the state a room for concern, and the reason is not far-fetched.
As politicians warm for the election; campaigning and wooing voters through the media and underground lobbying and other schemes, keen watchers of the political terrain in the state are beginning to express fear over the brewing political intolerance capable of resulting to a negative development.The accusing fingers seem to be pointing at amembers of the political class in the state as a group to watch with apprehension.
On Sunday, July 9, 2023, some people described as political thugs invaded the campaign office of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, located within the vicinity of the popular Papa Randa, Lokoja, the state capital and vandalized some facilities in the building.
As expected, the negative development has elicited trading of words and blame game among many politicians and generating eyebrow by concerned members of the public, all condemning the act in its entirety.
The state executives of the Social Democratic Party, in a statement signed by Dr Arome Okeme, State Secretary of the party described the level of vandalism at the party office as a”heightened threat to democracy and its ideals, and security of lives and property.”
He continues,”Consequent upon the foregoing, as loyal citizens, we are calling on the inspector general of police to call the Commissioner of Police in the state to order and immediately have him fish out the culprits of this unfortunate barbaric event, failure of which may lead to our resorting to self-help.”
Okeme, however, called on the general public not to be cowed or intimidated by the development at the SDP office, assuring them that “it is just a minor setback that will only engender the Muri/Abene campaign to intensify its activities.”
The All Progressives Congress ruling ,APC, Kogi state government added its voice to the galore of condemnation that greeted the action of the vandals by describing the development as “barbaric, undemocratic and unacceptable to the people and government of the state.”
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement he signed in Lokoja condemned the act in its entirety.
He said the Kogi state government would continue to support the freedom of anyone and everyone to aspire to positions in line with the ethos of democratic values.
“Attacking the campaign office of any political party is criminal and would not be condoned,” he warned.
The commissioner called on security agencies in the state to investigate and apprehend perpetrators of the attack to bring them to justice and send a strong warning to hoodlums that, the forthcoming governorship election in the state would be decided by the ballots, not the bullets.
“The Kogi state government wishes to warn criminals and hoodlums to stay clear of the Kogi governorship poll as the state government will deal with criminals. Parties should also desist from making uninformed, malicious, and inciting statements capable of disturbing the peace of the state.
“As a government, we will support law enforcement agencies to ensure a free, fair, and credible poll on November 11, 2023.
“We have put machinery in motion to ensure the safety of our people before, during, and after the election.
“Parties are also enjoined to go about their campaign in an orderly and peaceful manner,” Fanwo added.
According to political analysts, beyond the uneasy calm by the attack on SDP office, lies the imperative of strengthening the course of stemming the unhealthy political development by the political class and other segments of population in the state,early enough, in the interest of peace and development of Kogi state.
The police, charged with the statutory of internal security of the state say they are not resting on their oars in sounding stern note of warning to political actors to check their action capable of igniting political crisis, before, during and after the poll.
The Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, in charge of Zone 8, Babatunde Ishola, gave the warning at stakeholders meeting in Lokoja on Election Security while speaking on the theme: “Strengthening Community engagement towards a violence-free November 2023 Governorship election in Kogi State.”
The AIG warned political parties and their actors against self-help during the forthcoming November 11 Governorship Election, just as he described election security as everybody’s business
He said security agencies would adopt a zero-tolerance approach to snatching ballot boxes, adding that campaigns should be issues-based.
The AIG promised that security agencies would display the highest level of professionalism during the Kogi Governorship Election.
While admonishing politicians to follow the rule of law in their campaigns,the AIG assured that everyone’s vote in the forthcoming Kogi Governorship Election must count.
The AIG, who also assured of a credible and peaceful Governorship election, promised that more police personnel would be deployed to the State for adequate security during the election, stressing that security agencies were working tirelessly to stem violence during the exercise.
“Although security is everybody’s business, the security operatives will be ruthless against trouble makers, because we have adopted zero tolerance approach to snatching of ballot boxes, ”warned.
Shola, who advised that electioneering campaigns should be issue- based, also warned against comments and intimidation that can ignite crisis, however, assured that security operatives would display the highest level of professionalism, hence politicians to play the game according to the rules.
The Independent National Electoral also lent voice to the clarion call for peace to reign supreme during and the planned governorship election in the state. He particularly warned masquerades to stay out of the election .
Dr.Gabriel Longpe, Kogi Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), who also spoke during the meeting said that the Commission had never at any time registered masquerades for election but that to his dismay, masquerades were seen voting in February. 25 and March 18 polls and at the same time chasing voters away.
“We don’t want a repeat of that ugly situation during the Nov 11, Governorship election in the state, because at no time did INEC register any masquerade.
“INEC is fully equipped and prepared for the forthcoming Governorship election.Therefore, we expect all the participating political parties and their supporters to conduct themselves orderly for peaceful, free and fair polls, ” advised.
The Lokoja Chapter of the Okengwe Development Association (ODA) called on the citizens of Kogi State to eschew hatred and campaigns of calumny towards the November 11th 2023, Governorship Election in the State.
The Executive members of ODA gave the charge during a meeting with Billie Avoyi Nwogu, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Governor Yahaya Bello on Electronic Media in her office in Lokoja.
Coming to the basis of historical development of the state, it is instructive to note that historians are in accord with the fact, that Kogi state is one geo-political entity in Nigeria that has no reason to be a hotbed of political crisis, given the historical affinity of its citizens.
For instance, the Egbiras in the central senatorial district of the state and their counterparts, the Igalas in the east senatorial district, share similar historical identity as members of the then-famous Kwararafa empire of the 17th century.
The Egbiras, Igalas.and Okuns were in the old Kwara State from 1967 to 1976 when Benue State was created and the Igalas were merged with the Tivs, Idoma, and other tribes to form that state.
As fate would have it, on August 27, 1991, the Egbiras, Igalas, and Okuns came together again form the current Kogi State. Pieces of empirical evidence shows that the three mega tribes engage in inter marriage and do other things in unison.
In other words, minus politics,there is no love lost among the ordinary people in the state.
However,the major cog in the wheel of meaningful human relationship between the three mega tribes in the state is the nature of politics being played by the practitioners and the attendant negative consequences on the social, economic and political process of the state.
It therefore means that the political actors and their followers in the state need to reflect deeply on the basic philosophy that informed the creation of the state over 30 years ago and similarity in the history of the state by playing politics in consonance with the rules of the game to ensure absolute peace and realistic social and economic development of the confluence state.
This they can do by shunning inter/intra party squabbles, wranglings and imbibe the culture of internal democracy to ensure the attainment of the desired sanity in the body politics of the state.
The candidates of the 18 political parties warming for election owe the people of the duty the duty to campaign on the basis of what they intend to offer them, if the given the mandate to govern in 2024.
The trend where by accusations and counter accusations dominate the mode of communication among members of the political class in the state does not augur well for the image of the state and corporate existence of its citizens.
Kogi State is sitting on the keg of rich human and natural resources beckoning for harnessing to put it on the orbit of realistic social, economic, and political and make it a shining star in the country.
Available statistics from Google indicate that Kogi State has about twenty- nine mineral deposits in commercial quantities out of 3,000 minerals known in the world. They include coal, dolomite, feldspar, bauxite, iron ore, tar, limestone, gold, etc,
These are money-spinning mineral resources which if effectively exploited, in a conducive atmosphere, will bring the much-needed dividends of democracy to the people and allow them to feel the essence of good governance.
Google also reminds us that Kogi state is home to the largest iron and steel industry in Nigeria, known as Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited, and one of the largest cement factories in Africa, the Obajana Cement Factory.
Besides being endowed with rich minerals, Kogi state has the potential of being a tourist destination, compared to Kenya and parts of Africa where the tourism sector is the mainstay of the economy. All that is needed is effective harnessing.
Facebook, a glob social media platform, adds that outside Lokoja, the state capital, the potential tourist destinations include the sprawling red-brick palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, the rocky Agbaja Plateau and the Okene waterworks, built in 1937 as well as the statue of Princess Inikpi at Idah market.
The Inipki statue was erected in memory of a princess who, according to oral traditions, was buried alive to avert crisis in Igala land among other historical relics that dotted the state.
The state has in its tourism sector, the resting house of Lord Lugard, the firs Nigerian Governor general, mount patti,1,500 feet above sea level, with attractive features.
There is also the first primary school in the north built in 1864, the confluence, where Niger and Benue of difference sources and colour, meet and flow to other waters in the world as indivisible entity, the european cemetery, the cenotaph,showing the names of soldiers who fought the first, and second world wars, United Africa Company,UAC, among other historical relics.
Unfortunately, the state has not been able to get tap its solid mineral and tourism resources to the maximum for the benefit of the people and all eyes are on the political leaders to make this a reality in a shortest time possible, starting with peaceful election.
It,therefore, becomes incumbent on the political class to see this yearning desire of kogites to move the state to a higher level, for overall development of the state and its citizens by eschewing ethnic politics in preference for issue-based political activities for the good of all and sundry.
After all, the cardinal principle of politics and political activities is a call to serve the people with the primary aim of improving their material condition to the maximum, this is leadership per excellence.
As Onyeka Owenu, the popular Nigerian singer sang, “One Love , Keep Us Together” and with the popular saying in political parlance,what love has joined together, let no political discrepancies put asunder.
Dada Ahmed publishes The Reporters.
