The Kogi West Elders’ Forum (KWEF), a non-profit socio-cultural group comprising leading personalities and opinion leaders of Kogi West

Senatorial District of Kogi State, has called on the Governor Yahaya Bello to support power equity and measured balance in favour of Kogi West Senatorial District to complete his administration principle of EBIGO which has been popularised to manage the power-sharing complexity of the confluence state.

KWEF made the call in a communique signed by its chairman, Gen. David Jemibewon (rtd). In the communique, the forum expressed dismay over the skewed political power play in the state that has denied the good people of the west, despite their good intention and active participation in previous elections, the ability to produce an Executive Governor of the state since the creation of the state in 1991.

“In contrast, the two other senatorial districts of East and Central haveoccupied the seat of the state governor for about 21 years now and 25 years by the time the incumbent leaves office in 2023. It is in the light of the above that the forum states that political parties should consider candidates from Kogi West Senatorial District. We reject running mates in all political parties. That the state governor, his Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello and all political actors in the state should take conscious note of this demand and support every arrangement that will meet the aspiration.

“That all political parties in the Western Senatorial District must endeavour to work together to stimulate actions that would produce credible candidate(s) leading to their state primary elections in the state,” KWEF said.

The forum added that all political parties in this regard must, however, align with the Eastern and Central Senatorial Districts of the state to accomplish the objective by working to produce a governorship candidate that will be acceptable to all the flanks of the state in the 2023 governorship election.

“The forum wishes to remind his Excellency of our unalloyed support during the last election when we made a public statement that endorsed his re-election based on our insight that he was a democrat,

courageous and would honour our modest agitation for power rotation in the state. As an aspiring president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the governor needs to more than ever before, demonstrate his support for an enduring power sharing and restructuring arrangement at the grassroots level in Kogi State and then Nigeria as widely conversed by all critical and discerning minds in Nigeria. This demonstration will show the infallible strength of good character and integrity he poses to lead a multi-ethnic nation like Nigeria,” it added.

KWEF noted stressed that the Kogi West Senatorial District has embellished numbers of qualified candidates that understands the need for good governance that will benefit every part of the state.

“His Excellency must not allow any individual or group to take the

state back to the woods when the whipping of sentiment, pettiness and selfishness of interest groups influenced previous administrations to be parochial in the management of the power equation among the various ethnic groups in the state,” the forum declared.

(THISDAY)

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