A socio-political pressure group, Degroup, has demanded an immediate power shift to Kogi West in the 2027 governorship election, arguing that the zone has endured decades of political marginalisation.
The group made the demand on Wednesday at a world press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) conference hall in Lokoja, against the backdrop of growing agitation among the three senatorial districts over power rotation.
Degroup, a lokoja / Kogi LGAs based pressure group condemned what it described as the harassment and intimidation of its members at the ongiiy Kogi power-shift summit, alleging that some hoodlums prevented its delegates from accessing the venue and destroyed campaign banners.
A former member of the House of Representatives, representing Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency, Barrister Shaba Ibrahim, said the group remained committed to achieving power rotation in the state.
Shaba said the summit, organized by the Kogi State Government, was expected to provide a platform for peaceful dialogue on the contentious issue.
“We were invited to the summit, which was supposed to advocate peace, but some of our delegates were intimidated. Our supporters were harassed and our banners were destroyed,” he alleged.
He said agitation for power rotation was not new, noting that the issue had featured under previous administrations, including those of former governors Abubakar Audu, Ibrahim Idris , Idris Wada, and immediate past governor Yahaya Bello without desired result.
Shaba noted that by now , the state should have moved from talkshow to actionshow on the issue of power rotation , which has bedeviled the growth of the state.
The ex law maker, lamented that , the Central zone who had fought this cankerworm with their blood and through divine Providence, Yahaya Bello got the power and instead of doing the needful after his two terms, did the worst by retaining the power.
He acknowledged Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s constitutional right to seek a second term, but insisted that the provision would not extinguish the demand for rotation.
“The governor has a constitutional right to a second term, but that cannot stop our agitation,” he said.
Also speaking, Alhaji Sulaiman Baba, representing the Dankwo Development Forum, said community-based organisations backing the campaign were driven by what they described as equity, justice and fairness.
Baba said the forum submitted seven recommendations to the summit, including a proposal that power rotation should begin with Kogi West in 2027.
He, however, alleged that the events at the summit fell short of its stated objective of promoting peace and dialogue, claiming that some individuals described as thugs destroyed banners belonging to supporters of the power-shift campaign.
Retired Colonel Kabir Ndamadu Mohammed described the alleged incidents as “a show of shame,” insisting that supporters of rotation would not abandon their demand.
The former Army officer, challenge the leadership of the state to adopt the political arrangement in Niger state where each zone knows when it is her turn and this has worked perfectly for the state.
He warned that the rigmarole in the name of summit may boomerang as idea which its time has come cannot be suppressed , saying , now is the time for the west and anything short of it may not augur well for the state.
The press conference was attended by former Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Alhaji Bala Haruna, Alhaji Sulaiman Muhammed Baba, Alhaji Hamisu Nayashi and retired Colonel Ndamadu Mohammed, among others.
