Following the run up to who becomes the next governor of Kogi State come November 2023 and recent development in the state’s political landscape where tribal and religious sentiments have further polarized the people and heated up the polity to the reversal of any harmonious gains that may have been achieved through the years. An independent campaign organization in the state; Kogi Deserves Better K.D.B, with a vision to ensure that the most credible candidate regardless of tribe and religion with character, competence, capacity and commitment to the developmental gains of Kogi State gets the highly coveted mandate of the people to Lugard house through a free and fair elections.
In a bid to see this to the latter, the independent campaign organization held it’s first online conference which took place on the 14th of April 2023, on strategies in identifying and vetting the most credible candidate they would be adopting and giving their support, in terms of structure, strategies and man power to ensure the Victory of the most credible candidate.
With different seasoned speakers giving detailed strategies on how surely the favoured candidate would emerge victorious, one of the speakers Dr Segun Ebitanmi made an analytic presentation and part of the strategies is being focused on the Direct Digital Voter Acquisition Analysis and Assurance at the 3500 polling Units in Kogi state, where 3500 polling units managers would be positioned at the polling units, who would deliver value based stewardship contracts to 200 electorates at each polling units and secure 700,000 votes which would win the election by a landslide.
In all of these the most important factor still remains a viable and credible candidate who would bring all the strategies together, this also formed part of the discuss during the online conference. While delivering his lecture Mr Nelson Ogohi stated that In order to arrive at a safe decision in this regards the process should include criteria for adopting a credible candidate that would earn the support of the organization. The criteria includes;
1. Antecedents – What are his track records in administration, governance, business, and others. Philanthropy, Charity deeds, projects handled community or otherwise, etc.
2. Character – What kind of a person is s/he perceived as. Criminal records, violence, relationship, family, friends, honesty, accountability, etc.
3. Competence – Ability to deliver. School and Professional records. We don’t want another illiterate as governor. Has he led a big organisation before? How well did he do? Does he have the requisite leadership, management and organisational development skills?
4. Capacity – Financial Muscle to prosecute the election and beyond. Capacity to deliver on promises. Strategic Action Plans on how he intends to achieve.
5. Appeal to Young People – Who would be his cabinet members? Will the youths and women be favourably represented?
6. National and Global Appeal – How well is he known? Does s/he have a good national and international image?
7. Manifesto/Agenda for Kogi – What is his policy thrust? What are his plans for various sector of the economy and industrial development of Kogi. We know Kogi’s wealth will come from industrialisation of our resources. Revenue generation will be a very critical factor to consider.
8. Process of emergence; The whole essence going into the primaries is to get who is best for the job among all contenders and because we at Kogi Deserves Better are keen on getting the best man for the job, we would analyze the process of emergence even though we know there is no political party primary that is utopian in nature we would look at the closest to it and the party resolutions afterwards.
9. Equity: This is very fundamental because when all is said and done we believe that the people of the state and also the contenders should be treated uniquely with an outlook towards justice and fairness to compensate for different circumstances especially that which the state has gone through in it’s 32 years of existence and particularly in the last 24 years.
Because all these parameters are relative to different people, KDB will subject all candidates to a vote on each of this metrics and will easily come out with a clear decision. Finally with all of the above carefully synergized and put into action the certainty of taking the reins of Kogi State is in view for the person who comes top in this process and gets the backing of the independent campaign organization because KDB is prepared to mobilize and sensitize Kogites in deciding who becomes the next governor of the state.