By joshua 
*…Reminiscing The Past, Present And Future*
In as much as I don’t believe in fence-sitting, it’s pertinent to understand that the title might sound as though the contents of the article would be another way of drumming support for Chief Edward David Onoja’s gubernatorial aspiration.
As a bonifide Kogi citizen that has been privileged and involved in the political happenings of the State which dates as far back as 2015 before the demise of the late Prince Abubakar Audu of the blessed Memory, leading to the fortunate emergence of His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello as the 4th and 5th Executive Governor of Kogi State is never a product of happenstance.
No doubts, what we term as New Direction Agenda today were secrets and stories of men between divinely appointed Time and Chance born of sacrifice by known vision-bearers.
That aside, if one carefully analyzed the electoral strength of the three (3) senatorial districts in the last general elections and their outcomes — and in the interest of ensuring a stress-free campaign activities, one would be poised to opt for Chief Edward David Onoja for the forthcoming gubernatorial election of the state because of his capacity, competency, strength and political structures cutting across the three senatorial district.
I have come to respect immensely, for many reasons, the working relationship between Chief Edward David Onoja and His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello.
Whilst I wouldn’t want to bore my readers with my choice of Chief Edward David Onoja’s gubernatorial aspiration, I will be very brief in laying my foundation.
I have had the opportunity of working as Social Media influencer under Yahaya Bello’s Media Centre (YBMC) as far back as 2019 traversing the nooks and crannies of the 21 Local Governments of the state under the overseeing capacity of His Excellency, Chief Edward David Onoja.
His Excellency, Chief Edward David Onoja was in the field of engaging the electorate across the three (3) senatorial districts. I can still remember vividly the day we arrived at Kabba-Bunu Local Government at night campaigning for GYB/CEDO re—election.
The Eastern Senatorial flank of the state was as at that time tightened and awash with media propaganda having Engr. Musa Wada from the Eastern flank of state jostling for power with the incumbent Governor of the State. The configuration and reconfiguration strategies of delivering elections were at play.
Whilst many stakeholders were skeptical about His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello’s second term re-election owing to the voting strength of Kogi Eastern Senatorial district as against the Central and Western Senatorial Districts, its become a necessity for Chief Edward David Onoja to work assiduously towards ensuring the re-election of His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello.
This, he was able to achieve by not just ensuring His Excellency won overwhelmingly but also ensured the actualization of the 25/25 victory in the election of the assembly members of the state (First in history).
The success story of the New Direction Agenda is but a Joint operation of His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello and Chief Edward David Onoja who has been supportive and understanding in the quest for a better a Kogi.
Dissatisfied by some set people of his ethnographic origin on the basis of his choice of interest, some group of persons now ‘consistently’ cast aspersions on his personality for delivering the Eastern Senatorial district for His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello in 2019. Most of their written work and online campaign today is to them a retaliation of Onoja’s 2019 decisions of choosing His Excellency Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello against his brother of same origin.
Fast forward, and upon the re-elections and inauguration ceremony of His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza as the 5th Executive Governor, the Yahaya Bello Media Centre (YBMC) lost its relevance and that gave rise to the creation of “GYB E-MEDIA”, playing a significant role in promoting the image of the State Government and this time around, it was a product of Chief Pharm. Abdulkarim Jamiu Asuku, the Chief Of Staff to His Excellency, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello.
Yes, having enjoyed Pharm. Abdulkarim Jamiu Asuku’s unending benevolence, I made bold to say that I believe in the reciprocity of efforts, sacrifices and capacity-building irrespective of one’s ethnicity and religious background.
Pharm. Asuku is result-oriented, Humane and has been instrumental to the success story of the New Direction Agenda and if he wins the Gubernatorial Primaries, I will 100% support his candidacy.
However, Chief Edward Onoja’s credentials in governance and public service are a testimonial. He has also got an A grade in human capacity development, an audacity to dare, and his political mentorship and beneficiaries which span the entire 21 local government areas of the state have come to predominantly constitute a strong force of young people.
But here is the biggest reason for opting for Chief Edward David Onoja. In such a complex environment as Kogi where internal geopolitics and strong Senatorial district competition define the State’s political dynamics, Edward Onoja has proved to be a consistent advocate and ambassador of a New Kogi and has never compromised in protecting and promoting His Excellency’s socio and politico-economic interests of the state.
As we approach the 2023 Kogi Gubernatorial primaries, Delegates should look beyond the debate of who becomes the Next Kogi State Governor and from which district and start focusing on the conditions and demands that would define our political and socio-economic developmental agenda through capacity building, competency and consolidation’23.
– Abdulkadir Bin ABDULMALIK is a seasoned political analyst and writes from Lokoja, Kogi State