Kogi: A state without ‘spare tyres’

In from Olumide Olaoluwa . . .

It was as historic as bad a precedence. Last Wednesday, Alhaji Yahaya Bello was sworn-in as the fourth executive governor of Kogi State. There was nothing unusual about that. What was unusual was an empty seat beside him. The seat was reserved for his running mate, and deputy governor-elect, Hon. Abiodun Faleke. Faleke had declined the invitation to the inauguration.

That means Bello was sworn-in without a deputy. It’s the first time such a thing would happen in the nation’s political history. It was a historic development but also one with severe political and legal implications. It leaves a huge vacuum in the state, which no one is clear as to how it will be filled.

The development comes with serious political liability for the state. It means the hope of Kogi West, which Faleke represents, for power shift is deferred for another eight years. Though the post of deputy governor has no defined constitutional responsibilities, it nonetheless helps to create political balancing and a sense of belonging in a multi ethnic state like Kogi.

Faleke believes he should have been declared governor-elect when the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Abubakar Audu, passed on few hours after the November 21, 2015 election. Audu was leading the poll with 41,425 votes when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared the poll inconclusive over alleged irregularities in 91 poling units. The commission called for a supplementary poll on December 5.

While Bello is a bubbling 40-year old, one cannot rule out the fact that anything can happen to an occupier of such a high-risk position. The Audu experience is a sad reminder of that possibility.

Unsatisfied with the outcome, Faleke turned to the APC leadership to make him the governorship candidate for the December 5, 2015 supplementary poll since he ran a joint ticket with the late Audu. But the party argued that since Faleke didn’t participate in the primary, it would be out of place for him to fly the ticket. That ensuing disillusionment accounted for Faleke’s absence at the inauguration. He said giving the ticket to Bello amounted to rewarding disloyalty since Bello left the APC after he lost the primary to Audu.

After all the horse-trading, disagreements, arguments and negotiations, the present reality is that; Kogi, as it is, is without a deputy governor. The constitution states that the deputy governor acts should the governor become unavailable, incapacitated or dies. While Bello is a bubbling 40-year old, one cannot rule out the fact that anything can happen to an occupier of such a high-risk position. The Audu experience is a sad reminder of that possibility.

Kogi House of Commotion

God forbid, should such a development arise, the state and nation will be thrown into a serious constitutional crisis. Who takes over should anything happen to Bello? In the absence of a deputy governor, the constitution specifies the Speaker takes over. But that is also another banana peel for Kogi, a state that has acquired recent notoriety for political contradictions.

The Assembly is enmeshed in crisis with two factional speakers. Momoh Jimoh-Lawal is laying claims to the speakership, with Godwin Ojo, another member also parading himself as Speaker. Jimoh-Lawal was allegedly impeached on December 10, 2015 by 17 of the 25 Assembly members for alleged incompetence. Jimoh-Lawal is believed to be sympathetic to the immediate past governor, Idris Wada. The members went on to elect Ojo.

But that exercise has remained contentious with two members laying claim to the seat. The crisis has more or less grounded the Assembly with neither of the factions able to hold sessions. Supporters of the factional speakers have engaged in fisticuffs at different times in several parts of the state.

Last Thursday, the Police sealed off the Assembly complex over threat to public peace. Armed Police operatives were stationed at the Complex to maintain peace. The Commissioner of Police, Besan Gawan, said the police would remain there as long as necessary to maintain peace. That means the Assembly is on forced holiday, as it is. The actual speaker is also in contention.

Should any unforeseen circumstance befall him, the state will be left with no driver, pilot, or ‘spare tyre’, as deputy governors are sometimes referred to in Nigerian political circles.

So, since the deputy is unavailable, which of the factional speakers will act should the governor become incapacitated or unable to function? This is a constitutional logjam compounded by the bad situation already in Kogi State. Without a deputy governor and speaker, the state is precariously left with only Bello. Should any unforeseen circumstance befall him, the state will be left with no driver, pilot, or ‘spare tyre’, as deputy governors are sometimes referred to in Nigerian political circles.

This is the horrible possibility that the Kogi precedence is creating in the nation’s political evolution. Besides, how long will the state remain without a deputy? Will Bello be in order to find a replacement for Faleke? Or will he allow the APC choose a deputy for him? Will INEC recognise another deputy after it insisted on Faleke for Bello? With Faleke still contending that he is the rightful governor, is the Kogi drama still ongoing?

The following days and months will certainly reveal interesting developments in the Confluence State.

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