By Prince Friday Ogungbemi
The 2027 Kogi West Senatorial contest may end up being a walk over for Senator Sunday Steve Karimi as days are drawing closer and closer issues concerning the contest continue to unfold the chances, challenges, prospects and their strength.
Let us firstly discuss the personalities behind the contest. For Senator Sunday Steve Karimi, he is a man of few words, but with powerful actions and impact, not a feeble speaker, a man of strong courage, selfless and responsive to the yerning and aspirations of his people.
Senator Karimi’s leadership is therefore sacred and representation and not about noise, but rather it is responsibility. And when a representative of the people stands in the public square to speak the mind of his people, he must do so with both boldness and honour. That is what we have witnessed in Senator Karim.
Senator Sunday Karimi is working, bold, assertive and he represents Kogi west well in the upper chamber of the national assembly. He is not ready to sell his conscience at the peril of his people.
In terms of provision of dividends of democracy to the various communities he has not been found wanting. He has continued to address the dire needs of the people of the various communities in the Senatorial District, the impact of his representation are well felt across the seven Local Government Areas that constitute Kogi West Senatorial District.
Senator Karimi has made his foot prints on the sand of time, in terms of solid infrastructure and stepping in the gap in area where there are infrastructural deficit that ranges from renovation or remodeling of schools, building of Primary Health Care Centers in some communities, provisions of motorized solar powered boreholes in all the Local Government Areas under his jurisdiction.
Other areas of great importance is Senator Karimi’s outstanding courage to speak out on behalf of his people not minding whose ox is gored, this is a clear indication of his being selfless and has the readiness to champion the course of his people. This has further endeared him to his constituents across the Senatorial District to the disadvantage of his distractors.
Senator Sunday Karimi’s bursary awards to students in tertiary institutions has gone a long way in assisting the beneficiaries across the district and in Kogi State at large.
Another factor to consider, is the basic fact that Senator Karimi is from Yagba Federal Constituency which is one of the three Federal Constituencies that constitutes Kogi West Senatorial District, others are Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency and Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency among these three Federal Constituencies Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency has represented the Senatorial District for eight years, while the Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency where Hon Tajudeen Yusuf comes from has spend a total of sixteen years at stretch in the Senate, Hon. Yusuf seems to be of the school of thoughts that belief in the saying that, ‘there is no morality in politics’ hence there is sufficient moral burden for him to take part in the 2027 Senatorial contest in Kogi West in considering all available variables he has no justification to be in the contest.
But from Hon. Yusuf recent response to Pastor Stanley Ajileye’s open letter, where he said Kogi West comprises of Ijumu, Kabba-Bunu, Lokoja, Kogi/Koton Karfe, Mopamuro, Yagba East and Yagba West Local Government Areas.
Hon. Yusuf openly came out to say he is from Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area on which basis he is contesting the Senatorial seat, this is rather too unfortunate and diminishing from a caliber of a former member of House of Representatives who represented Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency for a period of twelve years (three tenures) can reduce himself to candidate of Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area alone.
Hon. Yusuf has claimed he is standing in the election as candidate ordinarily from Kabba/ Bunu Local Government Area rejected the premise, insisting that political rotation must be applied consistently across all strategic positions and not invoked only when it favours a particular political interest.
For instance Hon. Yusuf spent 12 years in the House of Representatives to this he has denied Ijumu and Bunu axises the opportunity of representation basically because of politics of divide and rule, and equally bastarding the most cherished arrangement for rotation among his people.
Hon. Yusuf who was also quoted of saying, “If rotation is truly about equity and fairness, then it cannot be applied selectively or only when it supports a particular political argument,” It is embarrassing to watch a cohort of leaders and public officials completely lacking the basic courage to speak truth to power.
However, political confidence does not erase moral burden and embarrassment of some of our political gladiators, who will arrogantly display their desperation and be blindfolded to see beyond their noses.
I do not want to bother my esteemed readers much with the history of the past but let me go memory lane, in 1954 Hon. Alege defeated Chief S. A. Ajayi in an election to House of Representatives. In 1983 Senator Joe Funsho Obasaju defeated Alhaji Salami Oladimeji Musa in the Senate election despite the personality of Alhaji Musa, I doubt it if any individual has beaten the record of his philanthropic gestures laid down by Afroworks as he was known then, yet his people voted in honour of the rotation.
Equally, in Kabba Dr. Femi from Edumo defeated Chief S.O. Fasagba in a House of Assembly election contest in 1983 with the patriotic tendencies of personality like Chief R. O Jaja of blessed memories this was when honour reign supreme among our people.
This battle is already won and lost between Senator Sunday Karimi and Hon. Yusuf. The people of Kogi West Senatorial District will better choose a man who will rather identify with them in their challenges, address some when necessary.
Hon. Yusuf’s twelve years in the House of Representatives has not made him the best materials that Kabba people can produce but he might have used the opportunities of the 12 years to deny the “Owe people” from a nearby chance of going to the House of Representatives soon. My thinking now is what happens to the Bunu people?
I do not query his right to seek election into the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, however I solicit he should not destroy the arrangement that made him. Hon. Tajudeen Ayo Yusuf was a product of power rotation in Kabba/ Bunu/ Ijumu Federal Constituency and he should continue to respect that cherished arrangement for posterity sake
– Prince Friday Ogungbemi writes from Lokoja.
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