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Kogi governorship, a litmus test for Buhari – Diche


Kogi governorship, a litmus test for Buhari – Diche
Dr Tim Nda Diche
Dr Tim Nda Diche, a governorship aspirant in Kogi State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in this interview with some journalists in Abuja, gave reasons why he wants to rule the state. Excerpts:
If elected as governor, what would you do in Kogi State that this administration has not done? Also, what makes you feel you have an edge above the former governor, Prince Abubakar Audu and other aspirants?
The state has lost focus under the administration of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The state is not only stagnant, it is backward. It lacks physical infrastructure. The people are just in squalor. There is unemployment. Kogi is not united across ethnic, regional and even individual backgrounds.
If you go to Kogi State today, you hear about power shift, retention and zoning. We are supposed to be one despite our diversity. These are the areas I want to focus on because if they are achieved, other things will come. We need critical investment in infrastructure in Kogi State.
We don’t have roads, schools, and hospitals. We need water. We need many things. We have to create employment for our people through microfinance. Wealth creation is very important through various programmes. Based on my background as a minority person from a majority zone, I stand a better chance to unite the state.
The former governor is like a father of the state. So, I will learn from his wealth of experience. I have the right to aspire to be whatever I want to be in Nigeria or the state.
You talk about marginalization. Are the minority groups in the state prepared to take over the mantle of leadership?
I am not going to represent any ethnic tribe or zone. I am not a candidate of power shift or retention.
You are from Kogi East. What is your level of acceptance from other zones?
One selling point for me is my double value - minority at home and the peculiarity from the other divide. I have been in politics for over 12 years. So, I have cultivated friendships across the 21 local governments across Kogi State. I am leveraging on that. I have visited the two zones and the level of acceptance was overwhelming.
Are you afraid that a candidate could be imposed on the people?
Not at all. From all indications, the election in Kogi State will be free and fair. Our party leadership at the national level also believes same.
But Abubakar Audu is interested…
The people will decide. This is a poll and he must pass through a democratic process. As a leader, he cannot impose himself. The party is not about one person. The former governor has his limit. State and national party executives also have their limit. This is also a litmus test for the president and the party, being the first election under this administration. What you do as a democratic leader is important.
What is your take on consensus candidacy? Should your party decide to opt for a consensus candidate, would you subscribe to that?
To me, consensus means that you concede to me while I concede to you. If I have my programme and aspirants B and C have theirs, it’s the party that will bring them together and make us come with a consensus. It is a collective decision of the aspirants. So, it is a democratic process. It also means that nobody is better than the other. What we want is the development of our state. Whatever is being done, two governors will not emerge. So, if such a thing comes to the table and it is the way forward for the state, we can subscribe to it. I don’t have any problem with that.
Why do you think the incumbent governor should not come back?
I don’t want to go personal. It’s not about Governor Idris Wada. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on which platform he became governor, is not executing laudable programmes in Kogi State.
The governor is just an agent of the party. So, the issue is that the PDP is not performing because they don’t have good leadership to drive their agenda in Kogi. That’s just it. I was a member of the PDP. Like I said, the party has already buried itself in the last election. Note that there are structures in place. Wada is not the only one running the state. Even if the governor is not doing well, what stops his commissioners from doing well? What about the local government chairmen? Is Wada there? It’s the PDP. In an industry, for instance, if your products are not doing well, there will naturally be a demand for change. That’s what the people are saying.

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