At last the ice has been broken and the terrain was getting crowded as the day goes by and as the hand of the clock draws nearer to the magic year of the 2023 general elections. Now an array of hopeful contenders is littering the political terrain in Ajaokuta Local Government Area. Before now, it was as if there was nobody to vie for the exalted highest political office, Federal House of Representatives, in the land, even for the sake of it, to throw the gauntlet. Interestingly, the awaiting party primaries have successfully been conducted and flagbearers of some major political parties in the area, APC, PDP, ADC, NNPP and SDP have emerged respectively.
Interestingly, the good people of Ajaokuta Federal Constituency, seem to have kept their faith with one personality, that is, Hon. Sani Egidi Abdulraheem [SEA], who is seen as a rallying point in realizing their socio-political emancipation in the next political dispensation at the Green Chamber, House of Representatives of the National Assembly, Abuja.
Meanwhile, there is also a political new page in the area, Ajaokuta Local Government, that is presently playing itself in the public domain, where two cousin-brothers,
Hon. Alloyious Adeiza Okino and Hon. Abdulraheem Sani Egidi, are slugging it out to the throne of House of Representatives to represent Ajaokuta Federal Constituency, at the National Assembly, Abuja. At the party primaries successfully conducted recently,
Hon. Alloyious Adeiza Okino was returned unopposed as the flagbearer of the PDP, while
Hon. Sani Egidi Abdulraheem, was also returned unopposed and declared winner as flagbearer of the ruling party, APC, at the just concluded House of Reps primaries, as other contending aspirants, that include the sitting Executive Chairman of the Local Government, Hon. Mustapha Aliu Akaba, withdrew at the eleventh hour to support the aspiration Hon. Sani Eigdi Abdulraheem. It was unarguably believed that candidate of All Progressive Congress, APC for the 2023 House of Representatives election, Hon. Sani Eigi Abdulraheem and that of PDP, Hon. Alloyious Okino are cousin-brothers of Okino family; a presumed political war in Okino family over House of Representatives ambition.
Okino’s family, no doubt, is currently embroiled in Reps spat and Ajaokutans are in the middle of it, as the centre may not hold. That is the first signal the Okinos, despite their significance in Ajaokuta politics, isn’t adroit in the game. Yet, no lover of political decency would hoist the likes of Ubas of Anambra as a positive commentary on the nations’ political development as their deviousness in seeking the mandate was also on different political platform, same as Alloyious and Raimi.
There was also a peculiar issue that played itself in Katsina State, Daura precisely, where two half-brothers contested same political elective position, Senate 2019, but in different political platforms, APC and PDP respectively. They played the game maturely without fusion and rancour, and Candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, came out victorious at the poll; eventually brought the electoral glory to the family and both the loser and winner collectively celebrated it.
Political observers in Ajaokuta Local Government Area, also believe that this development that is currently in public discourse, is a game of titan clash and a new page in the annal of the local government politics, and that there are so many ways this scenario can go without rancour and possible hostile exchanges; and that they believe Okino family of the two different political platforms would emulate the political maturity and understanding displayed by the two brothers in Daura, Katsina state, who played the game of sportsmanship without bitterness and rancour; that in every contesting game, there must be a winner and losers. They collectively celebrated the winner that brought electoral victory to the family, this healthy scenario is expected of the Okino family after the contest.
If the Okinos can ignore the messengers, there is togetherness message from the Ubas, even if it could be described as bonding in infancy. At least, they should not come into the open, tearing their cloths. They should manage their affairs inside and keep the putrid flow within. But just as the political analysts were trying to decipher the political situation in the family, they believe that Hon. Ado Moses Okino, former member, Federal House of Representatives, as father to both parties, should be able to display his usual endowed wisdom and exemplary good leadership, to intervene and ensure that there remain peaceful political co-existence and understanding in the family, even before and after the elections, and whoever was able to and eventually bring the political glory to the family, should be collectively celebrated.
When talking about the corporate corridor, especially at the corners where very large sums of money often exchange hands, we say that it is a dog-eat-dog. For some reasons we do not extend the same thought to politics. Maybe we all recognize that politics is a ruthless exchange at its core, and that family interests are almost and always trumped by personal interests.
Dusting their documents and readying their resources, money bags, for the battle, the mediocratic interest groups in Ajaokuta local government are on the heels of finalizing and preparing to queue behind them to cause unhealthy political divides in the family and in the area at large, for their personal gain.
Hon. Alloyious Okino, is not a stranger to the politics of Ajaokuta Local Government and Kogi State. He was immediate past Council Chairman of the area and Chairman Kogi state ALGON. In 2015 and 2019, he contested House of Reps election under the platform of the PDP but lost serially to the candidate of APC, Hon. Idirisu Lawal.
Some political observers in the area was of the opinion that one thing that may again affect the success of Hon. Alloyious Okino in the next 2023 House of Representatives election, is that on the other hand of the case, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, in the area has not been performing excellently as expected of opposition party, in the area of contact, mobilization and outreach, and other political activities, since they lost out to the ruling party, APC, in 2015 general elections. People expect that the party, PDP, should be busy with plan and strategizing on how to reclaim the lost political mantled of leadership that they held for some years, unfortunately they retired to cold shield.
It is interesting to note that Hon. Sani Egidi Abdulraheem (SEA), has shown himself over time to be an upcoming young and brilliant politician. It is rumoured that influential political stakeholders in the area are willing to stand behind him for the 2023 contest, because of the desire of the people to partner with a leader of vision, vigor and fortune to further pilot the political space of the area to the national political roadmap, even beyond 2023. By every indication, Raimi Sani, not only a big threat to his cousin-brother, Hon. Alloyious Okino’s ambition but to other contending candidates in other political parties in the area.
It was well understood from APC stakeholders in the area, that
Hon. Raimi Sani is a man who has been a strong statue in the Ajaokuta Local Government All Progressive Party, APC. The Adogo-born politician and a successful civil servant who have served the Kogi State Civil Service, retired as a Permanent Secretary in the civil service without blemish. A political pundit in the area described Hon. Raimi Sani, as a resilience and committed politician who has created standard in party politics in Ajaokuta Local Government area today, and that he has also brought new concept and paradigm to the political space in Ajaokuta politics.
One thing that may likely favour Hon. Raimi over his cousin-brother Hon. Alloyious at the poll is the political influence Hon. Raimi has established within the Okinos family politics. With this network, it would be easy to convince the elders and the youths in the family for support and block votes. According to those who know the matter also assumed that Raimi Sani’s emergence may not be a surprise, as he is known to be from a political household in Ajaokuta Local Government.
Writing this piece on the mode of political activities in the area, Okino family current political new page in particular, obviously is challenging because having come from the area, it is apparent that the joy of my write-up is to be criticized or commended from good readers. Interestingly, I humbly reserved space for such, hence I had no grudges for negativity or otherwise.
By: Idris Itopa Isah
Arewa Trust Newspaper, Abuja.
[08035130045]