By Mike Babatunde
2019 is at the corner. With reconciliation, restructuring and repositioning tickling on here and there.
This has geared up the political sensitivity and erupted speculations that power will return to the people of Kogi State come 2019/2020.
Then if this envision comes to past, what will be the hope of Kabba/Bunu (the most cheated people in Kogi West Senatorial District on the altar of equity)?
In the spirit of fairness, equity and justice PDP has always made it a
tradition to exercise power sharing through zoning across the State.
Some concerned people may ask, what form the basis for such opinion that Kabba/Bunu is the most cheated people in the district, equity being the fulcrum of my analysis. I will like to give a touch of history to justify my point of view.
In the old Kwara State, Yagba had gotten the privilege of representing our constituency in the Nigeria Senate between 1979 & 1983 in person of Senator Justus Olabode, a bonifide son of Egbe, Yabga West.
Kabba/Bunu got the chance for the same seat for just four months in 1983 (Sen. Funsho Obasaju).
After the creation of Kogi State, Senator
Sunday Awoniyi, father of the former Deputy Government (Yomi Awoniyi), represented us in the upper chamber from 1992 - 1993.
Since the inception of PDP in 1999 which marks the new face of political stability in Nigeria, PDP had been representing us in the red chamber until 2015 when PDP lost the seat to APC.
Sen. Tunde Ogbeha from Lokoja/Koto Constituency enjoyed two tenures (1999 - 2007) of representation at the upper house under the platform of PDP. This constituency got the Senate seat on the ground of zoning.
After the expiration of Ogbeha’s second tenure, in the same spirit of
fairness and equity, the stakeholders and the party leaders in the zone thought it wise to shift the senate slot to another Federal
constituency, which the senator himself consented.
This development brought a big tussle among the 5 local councils in
Okun land. To suppress the rancorous battle among the contestants from these local governments; which might lead to jeopardy of the peaceful coexistence among Okun people, the leaders resolved to streamline the contest to only two Local Governments in the two constituencies that had not occupied the Senate seat- Ijumu and Yagba East Local Governments.
That gave Sen. Smart Adeyemi from Ijumu Local Government the platform to be senator for 8 years (2007 - 2015).
The most disgusting thing was that toward the end of his tenure he began to mount up machinery that would work out his victory in 2015 senatorial election against the zonal arrangement that brought him to power, but lost to Sen. Dino Melaye from the same Ijumu local government.
By 2019, Ijumu would have spent uninterrupted 12 years in Senate.
If zoning was truncated by Smart Adeyem and if Yagba could not get the Senate by zoning arrangement, as at when due, does that mean Yagba has been marginalized? No! No!! NO!!!.
They had enjoyed 5 years in Senate, 4 years as Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, 8 years as Deputy Governor, 7 years as SSG and 4years as State Party Chairman not to talk of Ministerial appointments.
I use this avenue to awake the consciousness of the great people of Kabba/Bunu and most emphatically cum especially, the conscious youth that the Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Constituency does not belong to Ijumu alone, neither are we junior partner or second fiddle to them or any other. It is high time we wake up for this reality, come 2019 it is the turn of Kabba/Bunu to produce Senate.
Lokoja had spent 8 years, Ijumu 12 years at the end of this era, Yagba West 4 years, Mopa/Amuro 1 year and Kabba/Bunu just 3 months.
If the Kabba/Bunu leaders seem not conscious enough, so, the youth either instigate them or take the bull by the horn. We call on Dr. Olorunfemi, Hon. Jeseph Dada, Hon Funsho Otu, Hon. Duro Meseko, Hon. Joash, Hon. TJ Yusuf, Hon. Eniolorunda and all other leaders to be at alert and get it into their subconsciousness that on the altar of equity and justice, we cannot be subdued anymore.
Let us not look at it from the purview of a labourer who will only be fed to stay alive and do more.
May God help us.
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