On Saturday, November 11, 2023, Kogi State will conduct its governor’s race. The opposition is making a strong effort to challenge the current government in the confluence state, where the All Progressives Congress (APC), the ruling party, is in power.

Even though different political parties are wrapping up their campaign trails in the three states on Thursday, the Kogi guber poll is not a stand-alone poll because it is held concurrently with the elections in Bayelsa and Imo States.

The National Peace Commission, headed by former state president General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has cautioned governor candidates running in the off-cycle elections in Kogi, Bayelsa, and Imo States to pledge to hold a free and fair election free from electoral malpractice and violence.

 

Following its earlier announcement that polling places (PUs) experiencing violence would not have their votes counted, Nigeria’s electoral agency, the Independent National Electoral Commission, has been in the news nonstop.

Politicians always seem to have a trick up their sleeves to rig the system to suit them, thus it will be interesting to watch how this idea is implemented exactly. Professor Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, revealed this to election stakeholders yesterday in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, at a meeting in advance of the governorship election on November 11.

Yakubu said the commission would not return to any polling unit, where there was violence, for an election. Equally, yesterday, Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, warned individuals and groups intent on disrupting the election to think twice, as the police high command was prepared to deal decisively with troublemakers.

Ododo Usman

The quest to emerge as Governor Yahaya Bello’s successor at the historic Lugard House seat of power has pitted the likes of Ododo Usman, APC, Senator Dino Malaye, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Muritala Ajaka, Social Democratic Party (SDP) as leading contenders amongst the 18 gubernatorial candidates to steer the affairs of the Confluence State.

Stakeholders, party faithful and gladiators have left nothing to chance as they transversed the 21 LGAs in the state to drive advocacy for their candidacy to the electorate.

Three leading contenders are of the ethnic extraction of Ebira, Igala and Okun respectively and the voting pattern will likely not be far from this inference on Election Day as the electorate cast their ballot to determine the next helmsman of Kogi, where the incumbent Yahaya Bello has called the shots for the past seven years.

Bello’s protege, Usman Ododo has an uphill task to canvass for endorsement from the central, west and east senatorial zones where his opponents are deeply rooted.

For starters, the equation in the Kogi Central has witnessed a change with the emergence of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan following her affirmation by the Appeal Court earlier as the winner of the senatorial district election where INEC had declared Abubakar Sadiku-Ohere of the APC as the winner of the February 25 election. Ododo’s trump card is the backing of Governor Yahaya Bello and the availability of state resources by his political benefactor to drive campaign activities.

Politics in all parts of the world is a capital-intensive endeavour that requires deep pockets and the Kogi election is not an exception.

Ododo, until his emergence was the State Auditor General and a key element of the governor’s kitchen cabinet. From the periphery, the votes look like a diluted outcome with APC and PDP sharing the spoils therein.

Dino Melaye

Senator Dino Melaye of the PDP for the November 11, 2023 gubernatorial poll spearheads the other leg of the opposition and he possesses a rich career for the top job.

His emergence as flag bearer of his party created bad blood amongst other aspirants that led to a gale of defections.

Dino constitutes a threat to the status quo in Kogi and it will be foolhardy to wave away his bid to emerge as the next helmsman to occupy the Lugard House abode of power.

The emergence of Akpoti-Uduaghan will boost his chances in Kogi Central and his home base at Kogi West. It remains to be seen if his choice of running mate and former member of Kogi State House of Assembly, Hajiya Habitat Deen will swing votes for his candidacy in Kogi East senatorial zone where SDP’s Muritala Ajaka calls the shot.

Muritala Ajaka

The third aspirant amongst the leading contenders is Honourable Muritala Ajaka of the SDP who was a former APC member before he switched base earlier following his inability to secure the gubernatorial ticket on the platform of the APC.

Prior to the APC gubernatorial primaries earlier where he lost out, he was the National Deputy Publicity Secretary of the ruling party in Abuja.

His emergence as the candidate of the SDP has moulded him into a dark horse of sorts that may alter political equations that may lead to an upset in the forthcoming elections.

His running mate, Honorable Sam Ranti Abenemi was a former stalwart as State Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic where he resigned earlier.

He was also the former Lokoja LGA Council Chairman, former SIEC Commissioner, one time Commissioner for Water Resources. These credentials reveal the identity of a battle-tested foot soldier who has paid his dues.

It’s a close to call the results of the gubernatorial polls in Kogi State as the leading contenders are in photo finish scenario to curry votes from the electorate.