Kogi: Marriage, divorce, issues trail guber race
By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor and Isiaka Oyibo
POlitical marriages are as transient as they come, and so Alhaji Jibril Isah the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP gubernatorial primaries in Kogi State last January may now have discovered.
Just few months ago the outgoing Governor of the State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris had mobilized his awesome political machinery in favour of Isah, who he had then adopted to the chagrin of many as his chosen successor.
Not unexpectedly, Isa a former executive director at the defunct Afribank Plc beat several contenders in the primary that also included Idris deputy, Philip Salawu.
Governor Ibrahim Idris
But what happened between that decisive January 9 primary and September is the source of much controversy among political stakeholders within Kogi State. Idris in that period changed camp from supporting Isah to adopting another candidate for the PDP primary ticket. Idris according to many political sources is now supportive of Captain Idris Wada, whose junior brother, Musa Wada is married to a daughter of his.
Governor’s blessings
Governor Idris’ spokesman, Farouk Adejoh claims ignorance of any rancor between the two men saying that the governor gave his blessings to the two contenders when they respectively came to him for support. But with tongue in cheek he alleges some infractions that may have been committed by Isah.
“The Governor gave them (Isah and Wada) their blessings and it is not as if he had any formal support for anybody but Isa may have committed some infractions against the Governor,” Adejoh said. But what exactly is the kind of infraction committed by the outgoing Governor’s former protégée, Adejoh was asked?
“It is Isah that will better answer that,” he responded.
While Adejoh draws back from giving an affirmative declaration on the reasons for the Governor’s volte face, many political stakeholders are alleging Governor Idris’ indignation to reports that Isah was set to become an in-law to his near eternal political enemy, Prince Abubakar Audu.
Audu was the first civilian Governor of Kogi State who was defeated in his re-election bid by Governor Idris in 2003. Since then both men and their supporters have been in perpetual political conflict.
Shuiabu Audu who is a son of the first Governor according to sources is in a relationship with a daughter of Isah and it is alleged that when Idris heard of the affair between the duo who are based in Canada he went livid. When and how he heard of the affair between the daughter of his one-time protégée and the son of his prominent political foe is, however, not known.
As it seemed, the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC to postpone the election following the decision of the Court of Appeal on the tenure of Governor Idris allowed the outgoing governor to make the discovery.
The Canadian-based couple, according to sources, have indeed known each other for more than 10 years and are now about taking tentative steps towards marriage.
Governor Idris’ response apparently was to go for a near kinsman in the person of Wada whose junior brother is married to his daughter.
It was as such not surprising that the Governor’s political machinery was massively mobilized to support the emergence of Wada as the gubernatorial candidate in the rescheduled primaries conducted last Thursday.
The primary was, however, boycotted by a number of the candidates on the premise of deep involvement of the Governor which they said made it impracticable to conduct a free and fair poll.
Among those who boycotted for that reason were former Managing Director of Daily Times, Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, Col. Ahmed Usman, former military governor of Oyo State, among others.
Isah also boycotted the primary on the claim that a court order stopped the rescheduled primary from holding.
At the end of the rescheduled primary Captain Wada emerged victorious with 547 votes to beat his closest opponent, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Isah Kutepa who garnered 296 votes while the incumbent Deputy Governor Philps Salawu scored only 2 votes. Isah was credited with one vote.
Isah was, however, quick to distance himself from the rescheduled primary as he maintained that he remained the flag bearer of the party for the gubernatorial polls.
In a statement issued by his Media Consultant, Phrank Shaibu last Sunday, Isah said, that by the provisions of the electoral guidelines for Primary elections 2010 of the PDP which he said are still in force, that he is still the candidate of the party for the gubernatorial election.
Citing article 23 in part iv, of the electoral guidelines, he said his nomination remains “sacrosanct and untempered with” as he (Jibrin Isah) is alive, has not withdrawn from the PDP and indeed remains an active member and he is not in any way incapacitated.
Also citing the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the provisions of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), he said that there is no provision either expressly or imputed that allowed the nomination of a candidate for an election to lapse on account of a postponement of the election as happened in Kogi State.
He said: “Furthermore, we can’t but refer to the preamble of the electoral guidelines which clearly stated in paragraphs (i) and (ii) quoting copiously from section 87 (i) (a) and section 33 of the electoral act thus: (i) Candidates of political parties will only emerge through primary elections dully conducted and monitored by INEC (ii) Political parties are NO LONGER allowed to change or substitute candidates whose names have been submitted to INEC, except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate”.
Mr. Jacob Edi a journalist from Kogi State, however, disputes the claim saying that at the time of the first primary that there was a pending case over the tenure of Governor Idris which in his claim vitiated the outcome of the first primary.
Isah is, however, unwavering and has resorted to the courts and charged his supporters to maintain the cool until he recovers his mandate.
Meanwhile, the crack in the PDP is raising concern about the prospect of the party in the forthcoming polls. The party has won the gubernatorial elections in the state since 2003 and the threats now are raising prospects of the party going into battle divided.
Meanwhile, while Governor Idris was changing his mind on Isa, his foe, Prince Audu at about the same time also changed his own political platform as he decamped from the comatose All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. The decampment was generally seen as the determination of Audu to mount a final onslaught on the governorship .
Remarkably, Prince Audu would not be the only one from within his own family contesting for the governorship. His estranged wife, Chief (Mrs.) Aisha Audu would also be contending for the occupancy of the coveted Lugard House at the forthcoming elections scheduled for December 3. Mrs. Audu who is presently engaged in divorce arbitration with her husband in a United States court would be contesting the election on the platform of the Justice Party.
