#KogiGovRace: Echocho’s Aspiration is a Non-Issue by Atabo Johnson Ebiloma

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The position of a State of Governor is provided for by the Constitution in Section 176. It provides that – there shall be for each State of the Federation a Governor and the Governor shall be the Don Dada Chief Executive of that State. The only persons qualified to be Governors are- Citizens of Nigeria by birth; persons who have attained the age of 35 years; members of a political party & sponsored by that party; and such candidate that has been educated to at least School Certificate Level or its equivalent.

It should also be noted that the following persons are not qualified for election to the position of the Governor-

1-Persons who have voluntarily acquired the citizenship of another country;

2-He has been elected to the position 2 previous times;

3-Persons under a death sentence;

4-Persons who have been convicted and sentenced for an offence involving dishonesty within the past 10 years of the election or has contravened the Code of Conduct;

5-An undischarged bankrupt;

6-Persons employed in public service;

7-Member of a secret society;

8-Persons who have been indicted for embezzlement or fraud; and

9-Persons who presented a forged certificate to INEC.

In 2011, the director of the defunct Afribank, Mr Chinedu Onyia alongside the bank’s former managing director, Sebastian Adigwe, it’s former chairman, Osa Osunde‎, former executive directors – Jibrin Isah, Isa Zailani, Henry Arogundade and Isa Zailani and a stockbroker, Peter Ololo ‎with his firm, Falcon Securities Limited, are being tried over an alleged N55billion money laundering by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC). This case would be coming up August, 2015.

In line with the constitutional requirement for the sit of governor of a state, number 5 & 8 has automatically disqualified Jibrin Isah Echocho from contesting any elective position for life. It was on the ground of this criminal offense that the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, based on legal advice by Barr Mike Ozekhome and Latif Fagbemi (SANs) substituted Capt Idris Wada for Jibrin Isah Echocho in the 2011 kogi state gubernatorial election. Echocho would have won the election but, The leadership of the party was strongly advised that any victory at the poll for the peoples Democratic Party would be nothing but a Pyrrhic victory, on the legal ground that the opposition party that came second in the contest of the election will challenge such victory in court with full assurance of reclaiming the mandate. It was on this highly rooted legal advise that the party seek for a candidate of high moral value with unquestionable character and integrity and settled with the incumbent governor, Capt Idris Wada. Haven lost the ticket of the party to Capt Idris Wada at the second scheduled primary in Nasarawa which he participated, Echocho directed his followers and supporters across the state to work for the opposition candidate of Prince Abubakar Audu but against all odds, Wada emerged victoriously at the poll.

Instead of the opposition party challenging the peoples victory of His Excellency Capt Idris Wada, Jibrin Isah Echocho dragged the leader of his party and the governor of Kogi state, Capt Idris Wada through the legal tunnels with pre-post election matters which ended up at the Supreme Court in Favour of the governor. Echocho who is seeking for the PDP’s ticket to run in the 2015 kogi GUBER declared himself openly as a fifth columnist in the last presidential, Nass, and state house of assembly elections by not only voted against his own party but sponsored his followers against all the candidates of the PDP in the last elections. In the last National Assembly elections, the arrow-heads of Echocho political fraternity (Hon Benjamin Ikani Okolo of Dekina/Bassa federal constituency and Hon Abdullahi Bello of Okene Adavi constituency) contested under the All Progressive Congress and won their elections while Echocho would-have being running mate, Clarence Olafemi has also declared interest to run for governor of kogi state in the forthcoming gubernatorial election under the APC. Like a cricket with long tarsus that busts it’s own intestine, Echocho out of greed and political avariciousness has destroyed his political structure, currently standing alone in political wilderness. Indescribable agitation stairs my senses any time I come across those who are clamoring for Echocho to run for governor, wondering if they had ever handled a copy of the Nigerian constitution in their live. If Echocho was even qualified to run by law, he wouldn’t have portend any challenges for the incumbent governor who has turn around the political fortunes of the state but his aspiration is totally a non issue as far as election matters are purely constitutional.

– Atabo Johnson Ebiloma


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