Like my brother and friend, the great journalist Abdullahi O Haruna Haruspice, who though we defer so many times in opinion, especially on GYB; may I also muse a bit this cool morning. I am also taking permission from him for the risk of sounding monotonous and running against the copyright law ( if at all he had patent musing).
That said, let me now muse!
Our leader and mentor Hon James Faleke led his teaming supporters and the Audu/ Faleke structure to GYB, as agreed, he needed to hand them over to bring to an end their days of straying and staying in the cold. He needed them all to now become members of the mainstream. Brilliant if you ask me! Atleast, instead of deferring to him in days of woes because of loyalty, they now can move around the political family and politick. He needed to do this also as a loyal party man and a lover of peace, afterall, who fight help?
In his hand over speech that I read ( because I wasn’t there), he eulogiesed Bello in the area of security and also mentioned the need to turn in the Audu/ Faleke structure for unity and camaraderie sake. Fantastic speech from an astute politician and progressive, who knows how not to completely bungle his good will.
Bello for me had done well in terms of security. Let’s just call a spade a spade, Kogi is a bit safer than many other state in Nigerian (my thoughts though). For the risk of standing logic on it’s head, Faleke our leader was smart in stopping at mentioning security, he won’t risk sounding like a broken record. So like Squealer in George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” he pronpto jumped into the reason he was there in the first place. For me, this was a smart one, it just meant, please do not quote me out of context about achievements, as a loyal party man, I have come to handover my structure to you openly and to also debunk the collection of one billion naira that the nay sayers from the opposition and even within, bandied around that you gave me. I might be right or wrong with my assertion but I do have a right to my opinion.
Weather Faleke did this in good faith or was forced by his party to do so is a discussion for another day. Atleast, it is openly on record that, he toed the loyal party line. No more no less.
Aside security and a very few other things which I honestly don’t know, can the present government or anyone really point to much projects either completed or not that they have done? Building and consolidating on infrastructural developments are the sure catalyst to improve the economy of any nation or state, for the risk of sounding negative, I might just say in simpler terms that they(infrastructural developments) are conspicuously lacking and missing in Kogi State. I stand to be corrected though.
At this point, a youthful and agile government such as we have should go to sleep trusting to coast to victory by the dint of massive developmental project been done across the state in her first term most especially with a seemingly weak opposition who has a house devided against itself; but for the lack of it, they needed to junket around in an inducements jamboree.
Unfortunately, the presence of the main opposition who seems to be busy kicking cans around the state is yet to be duely felt on all spaces. No massive movements, no propaganda to attend to, no campaign promises to bring hope and atleast hold on to, everything about the them looks lifeless, except that they tested the microphone at their kick off rally in Lokoja. But would they continue to test the microphone while those who are ready to dance wait in vain?
While the major opposition party had gone to sleep, the Bello social media boys are everywhere showcasing the huge successes they continue to record in their campaigns from local government to local government and town to town. Even if they won’t show us which meaningful developments their pay-master had done in time past and what we hope for in the nearest future, atleast, we see the beautiful campaign clothes and caps they adorn, their crowd mobilisation and all. Give it to them(Bello social media handlers) their presence on the media space is choky.
For me, re-election campaign of an incumbent should be based on the performance of his/her present tenure. I take a simple example from Fashola’s re-election campaign of 2011, it was obvious he will crush Dosunmu of PDP who then was his major contender because, he(Fashola), had mind blowing completed and yet to be completed projects littered all over Lagos State. There was no chance for Dr Ade Dosunmu in that election and it seems PDP itself knows this.
Now that the leader has spoken without the tone of finality, the followers will also decipher/ponder over it with the options of weighing their options meticulously. For the love of the party and for the unity of the state maybe yes, but, for the progress and developments of the state and considering the incumbent’s antecedents of failing to honour promises maybe no.
Tactically, the leader has washed off his hands on the alter of party loyalty and faithfulness and had also offered the best he could. It is now left to everyone to decide the line to toe at this juncture.
For me I choose life, whatever that means you may/will soon know.
Confuzzedly musing!
Obafemi writes from “Akogba” mountain top in Ekinrin-Adde.
