Echoes of drowning voices in Kogi
As it is today in Nigeria aspirants can just not lose an electoral contest as if wining has no opposite, which we all know is defeat. We have an army of bad losers and they play it really dirty. All these are what is trailing the outcome of the just concluded but successful Peoples Democratic […]
As it is today in Nigeria aspirants can just not lose an electoral contest as if wining has no opposite, which we all know is defeat. We have an army of bad losers and they play it really dirty. All these are what is trailing the outcome of the just concluded but successful Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries among others in Kogi State. Former Executive Director of Afri Bank Plc, Alhaji Jibrin Isah Echocho won the keenly contested primaries. Among the 17-member aspirants is Alhaji Abdulrazzaq Isah Kutepa who should have enjoyed the patronage and cover of his close friend Governor Ibrahim Idris. Given the cantankerous nature of Kogi politics made possible by people such as the likes of Segun Kolade under the cover of a fake body called Corruption Alert Forum, the outcome of the primaries is being painted in negative light. Ordinarily, Kolade and co would have in the spirit of sportsmanship gone straight and congratulate Echocho, but they did not, instead they chose the part of dishonor and they are now dancing naked in the market place. For them it is time to do damage simply because they lost out in the Kogi State PDP governorship primaries which majority stakeholders including the party’s supervisors who came from Wadata House adjudged to be one of the freest and fairest nationwide. The fifth columnists are latching on a mundane and already concluded matter to assassinate Echocho’s unparalleled character. They are latching on the former ED’s encounter with the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to paint the waiting governor black. They forgot but deliberately that decent and reasonable people who are in the majority – Kolade and cohorts are just a few disgruntled elements – do not think and act the way they do.
In the first place Echocho did not go alone to the EFCC. He was together with some management team of the Afribank that has since been cleared. In any case, it is a normal thing under such situation for the EFCC to invite the management team of an organization when such organization is under the anti-graft scrutiny, and after all, it was not just Afribank alone, all Nigerian banks underwent the same kind of searchlight. Given the no-nonsense attitude of the Central Bank Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and that of the EFCC, there was no way the former Afribank ED would have been left off the hook if he has a case to answer. So who are Kolade and co to question the freedom and the clean bill of health deservedly offered Echocho?
These lost sheep want to go to court, but that is just empty threat. How really clean are Kolade and co? One hopes they can go the entire hug to do what they are threatening. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands; this should be instructive to these immoralists, for it is both morally and senselessly wrong to begin at this point to do what they are doing. Where were they before the primaries? Did they avail themselves of the right channel of seeking redress according to the statute book of their party? It is to the knowledge of all PDP members as well as keen political observers that names of PDP primaries appeal team were published in case anybody has a case. The court is not anybody’s house. In fact, we too are going to court to clear our names for character assassination.
Kolade and co are also threatening anti-PDP activities during the April governorship election. With this we know who you people really are. It is funny that you are the same people who are exposing the kind of PDP members that you all are. Did we hear someone shout agent provocateurs? More than that, in fact. They are rebels without a course, just rabble rousing. In fact, they are not PDP members. Right thinking and responsible PDP members do not misbehave or engage in misadventure. To do anti-PDP during election is a misadventure of the highest order. Their act smacks of passengers on a ship who want to rock the boat. Since it is not them, it should not be other people. This is the selfish attitude of the proverbial mother hen that uses it legs to throw food it could not get behind.
Probably they want to be noticed so that when, Insha’Allah, Echocho is forming the next government they would be invited to be part of rebuilding Kogi State. Sure that is the wrong approach to notice-me stunts. In fact, these kind of people who have the intention of wrecking the medium of rebuilding the state cannot be a co-player in a genuine effort to move Kogi State forward, for they have, by themselves shown to be hypocrites, because only hypocrites would do what they intend to do.
We are not surprised at the attitude of Kolade and co. It is the ranting of drowning men who would do anything, including pulling good people along into the abyss of destruction, but this would not happen, definitely.
Given Echocho’s track record, I think for the first time Kogi State would be having a refined personality as governor. He is modern in training, career and disposition. Virtues which place him in better pedestal than the other aspirants during the governorship primaries to lift the state to greater heights. The flawless results from the primaries said so.
Salifu writes from Ankpa, Kogi State