BARELY 60 days to the December 3 governorship election in Kogi State, the battle appeared to have shifted to who become running mates to candidates of the various political parties that will be participating in the election.Expectedly, all the parties are looking towards Kogi West zone to pick their deputies. Reason being that virtually all the governorship candidates come from Igala land in Kogi East Senatorial District.With the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdullahi Bello coming from Kogi Central zone, the deputy governor position automatically goes to Kogi West zone. However, while all the parties in contention were able to beat the October 3 deadline for the submission of names of their governorship candidates, the same cannot be said of the names of their running mates.Of the five parties, only Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP) candidates, Captain Idris Wada and Mr.Lawal Itopa Lamidi have been able to name their running mates this week. Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate and former governor of the state, Abubakar Audu, his All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) counterpartswere yet to name their running mates.No serious reasons have been adduced for the delay, but the Director-General (Media) to ANPP candidate told The Guardian on telephone that the process of picking his principal's running mate was still on.Reminded that submission of names had closed on October 3, he simply replied, 'don't worry yourself about that one, we are on top of the situation.'The Guardian gathered that top on the list of speculated deputy governorship candidates for Opanachi is Mr. Femi Bolaji, President, Muster Group Incorporated Nigeria based in Port Harcourt. Bolaji who was ACN House of Representative candidate for Yagba Federal Constituency in 2007 admitted being under pressure from some quarters to run as Opanachi's running mate.'I am receiving some pressure to be running mate to Opanachi, but I am yet to make any commitment, though it sounds good to me,' he said.But facts emerged during the week that ACN could not agree on its choice of deputy governorship candidate, because a former governorship aspirant, Comrade Rotimi Obadofin, whose name had earlier been pegged down as running mate to Audu, is a muslim which was thought to be a misnomer since Audu too is a muslim.Obadofin from Kabba, Kogi West, it was gathered was among those compelled by the national leadership of the party to step down for Audu to be compensated with deputy governorship slot, but was later dropped to pave the way for a Christian running mate.Some chairmen of the party from the east and west zones who said religion should not be a basis for selecting those to fill sensitive political offices, however threw their weight behind the Audu-Obadofin ticket to further put the party at a crossroads as to who to pick as running mate to Audu over the issue of religion which plays important role in the state's politics.According to an insider, a top contender is the state chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party, Mr. Adebola Adeyemi. The source disclosed that since the present day ACN is an amalgam of the Audu faction of ANPP which defected to ACN, it was resolved that Adeyemi who was the de facto leader of the party in the state should emerge as the running mate.Confusion started when a group of stakeholders under the auspices of Yagba Forum, from Yagba Federal Constituency wrote to the party citing reasons why Adeyemi should not emerge. One of the reasons given was that Adeyemi's son, Abidemi Adeyemi is a member representing Yagba West Constituency in the State House of Assembly.They contended that the deputy governorship slot should move to another council area. The group pushed for the candidature of the chairman of the mobilisation and contact committee of the party, Mr. Adewale Abel who was the party's senatorial candidate for Kogi West zone in April polls.Abel hails from Yagba East Council, but Adeyemi is said to be close to the national leadership of the party and members at the grassroots, having guided the party to upset the PDP and secure a seat each in the House of Representatives and State House of Assembly in theApril polls.Again, Adeyemi, a financier of the party in Okun-Yoruba axis is said to have the resources to complement Audu's efforts in the area. But his opponents disagreed that the successes of the party in Yagba in April polls was as a result of his effort, saying the victories came through protests votes.Audu, who is said to have his preference for Yagba West, where he has strong following was said not to be in a hurry to name his deputy until final resolution of the dispute.As a timesaving measure, the ACN, it was gathered, in the interim, sent a dummy name to INEC office in Lokoja on Monday to avoid missing the deadline. 'The electoral Act allows for the substitution of candidates names provided the candidate is willing to withdraw. Section 33 and 35 of the 2010 Electoral Act (as amended) reads: 'A political party shall not be allowed to change or substitute its candidate whose name has been submitted pursuant to section 32 of this Act except in the case of death or withdrawal by the candidate'(section 35) A candidate may withdraw his candidature by notice in writing signed by him and delivered by himself to the political party that nominated him for the election and the political party shall convey such withdrawal to the commission not later than 45 days to the election.'Meanwhile, the SDMP's candidate, Itopa, a chartered accountant has chosen Mr. Segun Omorayewa from Yagba East Council as his running mate. Itopa is the only candidate from Kogi Central. Prior to his nomination, Omorayewa's background in the state's politics was not known. But what appears like the biggest story in the politics of running mates ahead of the forthcoming governorship polls emerged in the naming of Chief Abayomi Awoniyi, 51, an architect and scion of the late Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) chairman, Sunday Awoniyi as the deputy governorship candidate to the governorship candidate of the PDP, Capt. Idris Wada.Wada who made the announcement in Lokoja shortly after PDP national secretariat in Abuja submitted his name and that of the younger Awoniyi to INEC said that the choice of Awoniyi was informed by his track record of integrity, professionalism accomplishment as an architect and loyalty and contributions to the party's several successes in Kogi state and nationally.Observers of Kogi politics believe Awoniyi's choice was an obvious concession to the camp of the runner-up in the keenly contested September 22 primaries.Awoniyi who was Kutepa's bosom schoolmate way back in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria is seen as better option to the stakeholders of all the rival camps in Kogi West senatorial district given his family background and his party antecedents.Until recently, Yomi as he is simply called by admirers served on the Presidential Projects Assessment Committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan on assumption of office.He was in 2000 appointed by erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo to serve on the pioneer Board of Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority where he was chairman of the investment committee of the Board. He also served on the Management Board of the University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin.Awoniyi, who is the Lisa of Mopa, is a director at various companies including Candid Oil Services, a company that renders support services to oil and gas industries.Reacting to Yomi's emergence, Chief Folorunsho Daniyan, son of formerMinister of National Planning, Chief Silas Daniyan, who was the foremost political rival of Yomi's father, the late Awoniyi in Kogi State in the 80s and 90s, said, 'I have known Yomi all my life, we were in school together. I think he will do well on the job. Without patronising him, he will bring a lot to bear in that office. Calm, slow to anger and a team player. We will give him all the support he needs to succeed. I pray this is the beginning of bigger things for him.'Otunba Sam Owa, a lawyer and PDP chieftain, described the younger Awoniyi as 'a fine breed with national and international exposure.'He noted that his pairing with Wada, a well educated, elderly and intelligent retired pilot who at 23 years old became the first Nigerian world class flight instructor, is what was needed to lead Kogi to the promise land.'Yomi,' he added, 'as the son of one of the greatest Kogi indigenes that ever lived is filled with humility and commands the love and respect of the people of Kogi West.'He also explained that since Kogi State is a '50/50' state religion wise, pairing Awoniyi, a christian with Wada, a moslem would create a balance in the system.
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