Just like in Igala and Ebira land, some will vote for Bello and Wada -By Abdullahi O. Haruna

Not just Kogi, the PDP handlers are never gifted with the power of wooing voters. They use archaic weapons of political mobilization to woo voters forgetting that not everyone can be blackmailed and intimidated into buying a product that appeals not to them. In Kogi for instance, I haven’t seen any agenda other than the Bello Must Go gibberish, so because you want Bello out, therefore, you won’t tell us what you have in your kitty?

Atiku towed this same line when he used all his time talking about Buhari’s economy that he forgot to tell us why he wanted Buhari out. Like in Kogi, his handlers were more ingrained with energies of poking people with the almightiness of Atiku that they forgot to sell him to anyone. In fact, so audacious were they that they started calling him the Incoming President – even before election was conducted oh!

I engaged a PDP stalwart in Kogi recently and hear what he had to say, ‘Only a bastard will vote Bello, a real Igala blood will vote Wada’. I was more petrified with pity than rage. Here was an opportunity to sell your candidate who represents all tribes in Kogi instead you chose to declare fatwa on anyone who doesn’t vote your candidate? When has PDP become an Igala party to the extent that you now place curse on voters? Political inexperience and naivety can actually push people to hallucinate in confusion. Now, let’s even do the mathematics!

Are we saying all the Local Government Chairmen appointed by Bello in Igala land, the appointees and elected executives and of course the Federal and State Assembly members from Igala land and their family members will look away and vote Wada of the PDP because they are Igalas? In politics, what matters ultimately is what one gets, how he gets and who gives him. If we think because the PDP candidate is Igala, therefore, every Igala person will vote for him, then we are on a long thing of fallacy. Just like in Ebiraland, some will vote for Bello and some voting for Wada. Elections do not provide absolutism, therefore, let’s squash the idea of Igala votes going for one candidate – it will be shared between the two major candidates! During the 2015 presidential elections, Col Sambo Dasuki went to the polling unit with 9 members of his family, by the time the result was announced, Buhari of the APC scored 340 votes, while Goodluck Jonathan scored just 5 votes – meaning, even those who followed Dasuki from his household didn’t vote GEJ who was Dasuki’s boss!

The two major contenders must drop whatever atom of sentiment in their kitties, go to the voters armed with what to sell. Selling the wares of tribe and ethnicity won’t fly for people like us who are incubated beyond the banner of prejudice. If I must vote for you, it must be purely on your dossier and not the blue blood in your vein. As I always say, only weak people parades ethnicity, religion and other primordial umbrellas as unique selling points. Kogi is for everyone regardless of your status- whoever emerges, will be the governor of all tribes.

Gaskiyally musing