2007, the Race to the Lugard House

By Mathew Raji Andah

It all started with the Kogi Unity Group formed by disgruntled splinter group of ex-PDP members. They include such political heavy weights like the late A.T Ahmed, Alex Kadiri, Olusola Akanmode and Tunde Ogbeha. And then there was the ACD, a new political franchise touted as the answer to mismanagement of Kogi State by the ANPP and the PDP. For now though, it’s the AC, another brand new political party formally launched at the Eagle Square in Abuja on the 16th of September 2006.

The Action Congress has been dubbed as the Anebira party. This, of course, is an understatement even though the party enjoys a popular following in the Central senatorial district. It’s the only party in which Anebira won the governorship ticket in the just concluded primaries at Lokoja. The PDP nominated the incumbent governor, Ibrahim Idris and Audu Abubakar won the ticket of the ANPP.

The administration of the ANPP under governor Audu Abubakar is one the Ebira people are not likely to forget anytime soon. They watched with dismay how the administration used executive order to transfer a specialist hospital at Obangede to Anyigba, they saw with utter disbelief how the administration used diktat to staff key appointments in the state with indigenes of Igala, they witnessed first hand how Audu’s administration chose Ayingba, his hometown as the site for the State’s university. They also witnessed how the administration siphoned funds from the state’s treasury to finance acquisition of private properties in Abuja, Lokoja, London and Maryland. They were filled with revulsion seeing the extravagance of Audu while civil servants in the state go for months without pay and they were genuinely piqued to see Audu elevate himself to the status of a demigod that does not tolerate any criticism. Their patience ran out. Anger and discontent over Audu’s administration led to widespread rioting, arson and death.

The much-desired change came on April 19th 2003. The outsider, Ibrahim Idris, the PDP candidate defeated the incumbent governor. The victory was wildly celebrated (not because they voted for the winner for they voted overwhelmingly for the son of the soil, Kabir Shuaibu of the UNDP), throughout Ebiraland. For the central senatorial district, the change in administration does not reflect change in policies. What they got was more of the same. Apart from the construction of the Okengwe-Ihima-Ayire road and the creation of the Ohi and the upgrading of some traditional rulers, the Ibrahim Idris’ administration has been accused of being surrounded by clique, the so-called “Ibro family”, of alienating key brokers in the Kogi power game and incapable of protecting the lives and properties of people in the state. Very soon, the power brokers, those who conceded defeat during the primaries and helped ensure the victory of the PDP during the April 19th 2003 polls started to grumble loudly about exclusion and neglect by the administration that they help elect.

The domination of the Igalas in Kogi State is well supported by the statistics. The National Image, a respected newsmagazine published a table posted on www.ebiraview.com/hard_facts.htm that documents the lopsidedness of key appointments in the state, which favours the Kogi East accounting for about 44 percent of the total population (1991 census), 69 percent of the over all civil service strength, 50 percent of the total commissioners and 7 percent of all internally generated revenue of the state to the disadvantage of the Kogi Central and Kogi West accounting for about 33 and 21 percent of the population, 12 and 19 percent of the over all civil service strength, 25 and 25 percent of the total commissioners and 72 and 21 percent of all internally generated revenues respectively.

In the political calculation of Anebira, the key to correcting years of domination, lopsided civil service appointments, and marginalisation lies in the Lugard House, the seat of the executive governor of the state. The one on whom Anebira relies to snatch this key come April 2007 polls is the amiable and experienced gubernatorial candidate of the Action Congress, Engr. Mohammed Ohiare, 46, a quantity surveyor, one-term senator and father of 24 children. His legislative interests in the Senate include FCT matters, water resources, works, housing and appropriation. His remarkable career in the Nigerian Senate is characterised by his chairmanship, at various times, of FCT, Navy and Agriculture committees. He was a member of 4 standing senate committees including the committee on Iron and Steel.

Mohammed Ohiare is facing a major challenge since his emergence as the winner over Deida Atta and Moses Okino of the AC primaries on the 13th of December 2006. AC members like Alex Kadiri and Hassan Yakubu from the Kogi East threatened to suspend their support for the party or decamp altogether because of perceived irregularities in the primary election the registration for which cost each contestant about 2 million Naira. Ohiare would have to draw on his experience from the National Assembly and as a father to rein in the rebellious party members. And he must not underestimate the power of incumbency or the vast infrastructure of the PDP. Nor must he rule out ANPP’s Audu Abubakar. Despite Audu’s case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), he is still in the race with a huge war chest.

Meanwhile, all Anebira would keenly watch the contest between Ahmed Ogembe, PDP Momoh Obaro or Salihu Ohize, AC in the race to the Senate. Ogembe, 37 began his foray into politics through his support for traditional festivals particularly Ekuechi and donation of 35 boreholes to communities across Ebiraland. He emerged victorious over Onipe Usman and Suleiman Enesi at the PDP primaries on the 25th November 2006. Momoh Obaro, 47 ex-national director of finance of the PDP is the executive chairman of De Villa Guest House at Okene. He lost his bid for the gubernatorial ticket of the PDP at the primaries in 2002 and survived an assassination attempt on May 31st, 2005. His vision for the senatorial district and the state are spelt out on his website: www.myobaro.org/index.php?id=49. Obaro said he won the senatorial ticket of the party ahead of Ohize. Apparently, Ohize, the popular chairman of Okene local government is making similar counter claim. The Raji Report has learnt that no clear winner emerged between Obaro and Ohize during the AC primaries on the 13th December 2006, there was a run off a week later with still no clear winner and that the gubernatorial candidate, Mohammed Ohiare, inexplicably, favours Ohize rather than Obaro. Whoever wins in this intra-party struggle will have his work well cut out for him ahead of the general elections later this year.

So far, the atmosphere is rather calm and subdued. And the peaceful conduct of the primaries is a tribute to the discipline and maturity of the politicians. Here is hoping that the calm and subdued atmosphere endures during the campaigns and beyond.