Kogi Governorship: Okun Aspirations Transcend Individual Ambitions – Jimoh Saliu Ayodele
… Says Hon. Alfred Bello’s assertion on Kogi West governorship aspirants is a gaffe.
The ongoing discourse on the Kogi State governorship has sparked intense debate, with some questioning the motives behind Hon. Alfred Bello’s recent comments on the matter.
As Director-General of the Okun League of Progressive Elites, Bello’s assertions have been seen as an attempt to undermine the collective aspiration of the Okun people for executive representation in the state.
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According to critics, the demand for an Okun governor is a deep-seated communal aspiration rooted in decades of marginalization concerns and political calculations.
It is not merely a product of individual ambitions or sycophantic postulation.
The Okun League of Progressive Elites, an organization that appears to be dominated by former political office holders, has been accused of prioritizing current relevance over genuine regional agendas.
The question on everyone’s mind is: who designated Hon. Alfred Bello as the authentic spokesperson for the Okun community? His claims to representation must be publicly vetted against the diverse political interests across the region.
Moreover, the attempt to exclude Hon. James Faleke from the gubernatorial conversation has been met with skepticism. Critics argue that the region possesses a deep reservoir of highly capable and qualified elites who can champion the cause of an Okun Governor, proving that the agitation is not centered on any single personality but on the regional quest for justice.
Bello’s intervention has been seen as an action designed to serve as a political spoiler, prioritizing proximity to centralized power and personal advantage over the fundamental, existential political well-being and collective aspiration of the Okun people.
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The ongoing discourse surrounding the agitation for an Okun person to ascend to the office of Kogi State Governor transcends the assertions put forth by any single individual, including those recently articulated by Hon Alfred Bello, Director-General of the Okun League of Progressive Elites.
The demand for equity and executive representation for the Okun region is a deep-seated communal aspiration, rooted in decades of political calculations and marginalisation concerns, and is not merely the product of sycophantic postulation.
The public sphere has consistently scrutinized the Okun League of Progressive Elites, often characterizing it as a convergence of former political figures whose principal objective appears to be securing current relevance regional agenda.
This development prompts critical questions regarding the authority and mandate of those claiming to speak for the Okun people: Who has formally designated Hon Alfred Bello as the authentic Spokesperson of the entire Okun community, let alone an “Adviser Extraordinary” to the Nigerian Presidency? Such titles and claims to representation must be publicly vetted against the diverse political interests across the region.
It is highly problematic that an individual, supposedly attuned to the historical context of marginalisation faced by the Okun people, would offer such a rationale to exclude a prominent Okun figure, like Hon James Faleke, from the gubernatorial conversation. The argument that he is needed elsewhere is a flimsy justification that fails to adequately address the core demand for executive leadership within the state.
Furthermore, should Hon James Faleke choose to withdraw from the gubernatorial race or the related political clamour, it is imperative to state clearly that the collective momentum for an Okun Governor would not diminish. The region possesses a deep reservoir of highly capable and qualified elites who can champion this cause, proving that the agitation is not centered on any single personality, but on the regional quest for justice.
Consequently, Hon Alfred Bello’s intervention is an action designed to serve as a political spoiler, prioritizing proximity to centralized power and personal advantage over the fundamental, existential political well-being and collective aspiration of his own people. Hon Alfred Bello’s Gaffe on his assertion
Written by Jimoh Saliu Ayodele
