The infamous and inglorious so called apology by Muri to Bello was a clear message that it was and always about them and not about us.
These politicians must be having a laugh.
Muri, proudly told us that he was instrumental to the coming of a very inexperienced Yahaya Bello into power with the belief that he Muri would take over from him. And Muri did this at the expense of a very illustrious oma’Igala, a very experienced and a distinguished former Head of the Nigerian Navy- Vice Admiral Usman Jubril.
The activities of the proponents of Enemuneme movement of which Muri is a leading member destabilised the entire Ane’Igala using our people against us . The once peaceful Ane’ Igala became a war zone, with brothers killing brothers.
A new kind of politics that was previously unknown in Ane’Igala was introduced. The selfish activities of Muri and his comrades in arms led to the disappearance and death of many innocent Igalas among which are Madam Salome Abuh and Okwo. The era of tata tata tata politics, (politics by the barrel of the gun) was introduced in Kogi State.
Since the demise of Dr Achema and Prince Audu Abubakar, the Igala kingdom has never been the same again. We disintegrated into pieces. It became everyone to your tents oh Igala. Our politicians became selfish. The doctrine of Enemuneme introduced a strange phenomenon into our body polity and we were sold out to strangers. We played into the hands of our enemies and all of a sudden we became the minority in a state where we have numerical supremacy. What an oxymoron?
But two events resuscitated our unity namely the installation of a new Attah and Murimania. These two events brought out the very best of our brotherhood.
Igala sons and daughters came together to contribute enthusiastically to ensure the installation of Attah was a success. We rejected the government’s offer to contribute to the ceremony. A new unity was born. A sense of Uja’ache was activated as we quickly realised that we could not afford to act discordantly. We became one indeed. The wicked treatment meted out by the APC led administration of Bello forced us to come together with one voice to say enough was enough. This new found enthusiasm birthed the Igala Agenda (if not agendum).
The thrust of the movement was that we should vote as one and for one candidate for governor irrespective of party affiliation. The overarching goal then was to bring the’animal’ home first.
The people invoked the spirit of Achema but Muri was not and will never be an Achema by any stretch of the imagination. He is a fraud, and a populist hocus-pocus.
A mechanism was put together with a very clear set of criteria to choose one person from the pool of aspirants/candidates. The Architect Aduku’s committee started on a good note. It brought in three Professors to assess the aspirants (twelve in number) in a written and oral presentation. After this exercise, five people were selected to represent Ane’Igala in their respective parties.The committee’s order was clear; no two Igalas should run against each other in any party.
After the primaries, only two candidates emerged. The committee was well on course to deliver its verdict but all of a sudden, hell was let loose. Failed aspirants who felt that those who were already candidates were not Igala enough started scrambling for tickets from other political parties. New, fake and discordant committees emerged and the whole exercise degenerated into pure chaos.
The arrangement was hijacked by a crafty, manipulative and dodgy man who through falsehood, blackmails and lies hoodwinked his people into adopting him as their sole candidate. Ane’Igala was stung by Murimania and we all, in a herds’ mentality fashion followed on ( kane’attah kicholafia ).
Muri took his people on a goose chase and now he has put all of us under the bus. The person for whom all these sacrifices were made has now turned around to apologize for what we did in 2023. This is the height of sycophancy, betrayal and callousness.
He apologized to the man who insulted all of us as a people, yes, the man who terrorized and is still terrorizing us . He apologised to the man he told us was our common enemy but now sits comfortably to dine with. That video was hard to watch. It was a humiliation of immense proportions. It was a capitulation. It was a betrayal of a whole Kingdom. It was a surrender of our sovereignty.
In making this inglorious apology, he thought it was all about him. That was why he was mute like a bat when he was told his ambition was taller than him. No mate. It was not your ambition. It was our ambition and it was well within our reach.
That apology was misdirected. Muri should be apologizing to the people of Kogi for the deception, lies and wrong narratives he created to make the people choose him.
He should be apologizing to the families of our slaughtered people.
Muri should be apologizing to the other candidates who were far more qualified than him but who surrendered their own ambitions and forfeited all the money they spent to back him in the last election.
But all is not doom and gloom. There is hope and there is a way forward if only we can put the following into consideration.
We will still reignite the zeal and gusto with which we prosecuted our agenda( agendum) and Uja’ache in 2023 and with one voice we will still back selected candidates for all elective positions in the future.
We are a movement if not a party with the sole mandate of making our fatherland and Kogi state great again. In this role, we will always adopt one party and one candidate for the election in the office of Governor.
We must never sacrifice character, capability, vision. actionable policies and integrity on the altar of our agenda.
We must shun populism and money politics. Money and gifts corrupt judgement.
There will be clear cut set of criteria including a minimum of a first degree, verifiable experience in public office and business world in the choise of our candidates in all elections.
It will be made clear that whoever is selected will become our collective responsibility and such a one would be answerable to us.
We will pursue peace and reconciliation and all those who sold us out and introduced violence to our kingdom would be forgiven if they admit their roles and express genuine remorse and offer their unreserved apology to the people.
Irrespective of the above however, all of those found guilty of these heinous crimes would be given a political moratorium of 10 years. They will not be allowed to participate in any election within the period of the moratorium.
We cannot afford to make the same mistakes again.
Ane’Igala Awa? Me’ agbaoooo abomi’Igala.
