Younger brother to the former Governor of Kogi State, Engineer Musa Wada, has emerged the candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi, scoring 748 votes to beat his elder brother, Captain Idris Wada, with 350 votes, to third place.
His brother-in-law and son to another former Governor, Abu Ibrahim, came second with 710 votes. Abu is the son to former Governor Ibrahim Idris, who is father to Engineer Wada’s wife.
The sibling rivalry and family contentions also reared its head in the All Progressives Congress (APC) where two sons of another former Governor, Abubakar Audu, indicated aspiration to get the APC ticket. An uncle of theirs, Yahaya Audu, was also in the race in the APC.
While the two Audu sons, Mohammed and Mustapha, were disqualified from participating in the APC primaries, their uncle, who was given a late qualification to participate, like other aspirants, lost to Governor Yahaya Bello.
At the PDP primaries, Senator Dino Melaye came fourth after Engineer Wada, Abu Ibrahim, and Idris Wada with 70 votes. Other aspirants scored 177 votes. There were 247 missing votes.
Meanwhile, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State has said that the shootings that disrupted the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will be investigated, even as he teased the opposition party in the State to learn from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries that produced him.
In a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Hon Muhammed Onogwu, Bello described the violence as sad and unfortunate, and said though details of the gun attack were still sketchy, the incident may be a function of the do-or-die politics of some of the opposition aspirants.
At the PDP primary election, while votes were being sorted and counted, gunmen struck at about 1.30 a.m. on Wednesday forcing aspirants, delegates, and other party officials to scamper for safety.
Many were said to be injured.
An emergency meeting was called and a decision was taken to conclude the counting since the event was far gone and substantial before it was disrupted.
But the PDP in a press conference by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, pointedly accused the Governor of been behind the mayhem that interrupted its primaries telling him that a resort to violence and bloodletting cannot save him and his party. It added that the PDP and the people of Kogi state are firm in their resolve to use democratic means to confront and vanquish APC’s evil plots ahead of the November governorship election.
Ologbondinyan states further: “It is clear to all that Governor Yahaya Bello has become chaotic in the face of his rejection by the people as well as the soaring popularity of the PDP in Kogi state, and has now resorted to violence in a failed desperate attempt to prevent our party from presenting a candidate for the election.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the PDP had a peaceful, decent, clean, clear, credible and transparent process in the conduct of our primary. Accredited delegates had voted and the balloting had been concluded in a very orderly manner before the vicious attack by the gunmen, who were shouting pro-Bello mantra and accompanied by known APC faces.
“The PDP only has pity for Yahaya Bello and the APC because our processes are still intact and nothing can sway our resolve as well as strong will by the people of Kogi state to kick them out of office in November.
“This is more so as the attack has further united our governorship aspirants, critical stakeholders, leaders and teeming members and supporters across the state for a common front against Yahaya Bello and the APC.
“Indeed, nothing can detract from this, as the attack has further united and bolstered the people of Kogi state to remain behind our party in the decisive struggle and the noble objective to liberate their state from the violent and suppressive forces.
“Our message to Yahaya Bello and the APC is that their days in office are already numbered and that they cannot stay a day beyond the stipulated hand-over date.
“In resorting the violence and forceful occupation, the APC and rejected Governor should have known the people of Kogi state have never in history, bowed in subjugation to any body no matter the force or intimidation.
“That spirit of resistance to oppression and force has been triggered and we caution the APC to steer clear of the wrath of the people, who have decided to take back their state by voting in the PDP, come November 16.”