OBSERVERS TIMES investigation reveals that the Battle for supremacy has begun in earnest in Kogi east ,as Senator Jibrin Isa and the state Deputy Governor,Edward Onoja have allegedly lock horns over the constition of new members of the state executive council.
This is on the background of the inauguration of the new administration of Governor Yahaya Bello in Kogi state later this month .
With the new administration, appointement of state Commissioners and some principal aides of the governor is expected to form part of the next members of the state executive council, especially from Kogi east.
Kogi east produced the current Deputy governor and Senator who are the highest political officers from the area, charged with either suggesting or outrightly recommending to the state Government for appointement.
Pundits has however confirmed underground working and crises between the state Deputy Governor and Senator representing Kogi east on who will provide representative from the area.
Reliable sources confirmed an internal wrangling between the new Deputy Governor and the senator representing the area over whose list will be accepted by the governor.
This is a far decision from the previous style were the new Deputy Governor as the then Chief of staff arrogated the power to recommend all political appointees from the area,a situation that arrogated him as the leader of people from Kogi east.
Another sources confirmed that the stare governor gave a marching orders to both the Deputy Governor and the senstor representing Kogi east to shop and recommed the propose members of the new Commissioner in the next dispensation.
Slighted by this developement,subtle in house politics and bitterness is already growing between the Senator and the state Deputy Governor, on allegations that boaredered on usurping the political powers of Chief Edward Onoja, that brought all the elected representative from the area,including the Senator to their current positions .
According to pundits,the state governor preferred such crises between the Kogi easterners as a sign that the next election in the state may be marred with crises of lack of confidence on themselves by various appointees from the East,so as to pave way for power to shift to the West in 2023 in fulfilement of the promises made to the Okuns and particularly James Abiodun Faleke.
It will be recalled that in the outgoing administration, appointement into top political and civil service is normally carried out at the instance of the state Deputy Governor,giving way to the state Governor being misled on certain decisions.
This is coming as most lucrative political and top agency jobs from Kogi east are concentrated in Olamaboro local government rather than spreading to the nine local government areas of the zone.
Appointement of Chief Medical Directors for Kogi State Specialist Hospital in Lokoja and the Kogi State University Teaching Hospital Anyigba was dragged to only Olamaboro local government, with Dr Akogu and Dr Attah hail from the area,this situation arose the consciousness and negate public service provisions among others, OBSERVERS TIMES report.
Also the people from both the Central and Western part of the state have discovered that appointees from the East are not the best of hands, as most them are surrogates of the state Deputy Governor,hence misleading the current administration,as they are not comfortable with the people brought on board.
Reacting to this power plays, the senior legislative aide to Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho disavowed the report saying it’s mere imagination that there is nothing of such is happening in Kogi state as the Senator is deeply concern with the National issues and how to ensure effective representation for the people of Kogi East.