By joshua POWER ROTATION SHOULD START WITH MOST DISADVANTAGED ZONE AND IT MUST BE EVERY EIGHT YEARS FOR MEANINGFUL DEVELOPMENT TO HAPPEN….. Onu Itobe
A prominent stakeholder, Onu Itobe, has called for the institutionalisation of power rotation in Kogi State, insisting that the process must begin with the most disadvantaged senatorial zone and operate on an eight-year cycle to guarantee meaningful, sustained and measurable development.
Onu Itobe made the call while speaking at the ongoing Kogi Power Rotation Summit, where political leaders, traditional rulers, community leaders, professionals and other stakeholders from across the state converged to deliberate on equity, inclusion, fairness and a sustainable framework for political power rotation.
He argued that a four-year tenure is too short to deliver far-reaching development, noting that a substantial part of the first term is often spent settling into office, formulating policies and establishing the machinery required to execute government programmes.
According to him, an eight-year tenure would provide political leadership with the stability and continuity required to initiate, execute and consolidate major development projects and policies capable of leaving a lasting impact on the people.
Onu Itobe maintained that power rotation must go beyond political calculations and become a deliberate mechanism for achieving fairness and balanced development across the three senatorial zones.
He stressed that the rotational arrangement should start with the zone that has suffered the greatest disadvantage, arguing that such an approach would give practical meaning to the principles of equity, justice and inclusion.
He said the essence of power rotation should not simply be about determining who gets political power, but about building a system that guarantees every zone a fair opportunity to lead, contribute to governance and benefit from the development of the state.
«“Power rotation should start with the most disadvantaged zone, and it must be every eight years. Four years is too short for meaningful development to take place.”»
He urged participants at the summit to rise above individual political interests and collectively develop a framework that would command broad acceptance across Kogi State.
Such a framework, he noted, should promote peace, unity, continuity, fairness and sustainable development, while ensuring that no senatorial zone is permanently disadvantaged in the political affairs of the state.
The Kogi Power Rotation Summit has attracted stakeholders from across the state, providing a platform for broad discussions on equity, political inclusion, peaceful power sharing and the development of a sustainable framework for rotational leadership in Kogi State.place.”»