Just like the fictional HBO TV fantasy drama series, which is an adaptation of the Game of Thrones Novel by George R.R. Martin, so is the Kogi State governorship election of 2015. Several parties lay claim to the Seat of Government, while so-called kingmakers in the background pull strings and bully their way to ensure their choices prevail. The original game of thrones, even though a fictional fantasy drama, is a reflection of what obtained in medieval Europe when the most powerful kings went about conquering lands and imposing rates and taxes to enrich themselves. In the Game of Thrones drama, there are seven Kingdoms contending for the Iron throne, which is made of swords depicting the defeated enemies. Some of the most popular factions in the TV series are the Targaryen king, The House of Lannister, the Baratheon, and of course the Powerful mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen.  The drama showcases the intrigues of power and the quest for alliances in a bid to outsmart other nations to gain the throne.

The game of thrones in Kogi State in Nigeria fits so well into the type of intrigues for power that is portrayed in the Game of Thrones drama. Before the elections, there were two very strong contending forces for the Lugard house; it was clearly a battle between Wada and Audu. But just as the elections were completed, Audu passed on; with his death, other contenders became more obvious.  So what started with just two major contenders now has 7 key contenders that are playing for the throne of Kogi State, some of these contenders being mere political contractors working for one of the other contenders. The use of threats, bullying/thuggery, misuse of the Judiciary, use of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC constitute some of the weapons in use in this battle. This article identifies the 7 contenders and then highlights the case(s) against them and how they may eventually play themselves in or out of the game of thrones in Kogi State, Nigeria.

The contenders include (1) The Abuja Mafia led by the APC Party Chairman (Oyegun); (2) The House of PDP with Captain Wada in the cockpit; (3) The House of Yahaya Bello; (4) The House of Audu/Falake; (5) The House of Dino and Clarence; (6) The Okun People of Kogi West Senatorial District; and (7) The Judiciary–the presumed hope for true Justice in the matter.

1. The Abuja Mafia led by the APC Party Chairman (Oyegun): It is my opinion that this “powerful” group is using the full privileges and powers of the Presidency to bully their way to their desired interest. The ruling Party rose up to announce in the wake of the unfortunate death of Audu (who was coasting to victory before INEC struck), that they were going to conduct new primaries, but somehow they decided to go ahead and fix someone else over and above Audu’s Deputy,Falake. Recall that James Falake had been major participant in the race with Audu, but for INEC’s declaration, they were duly elected along with his principal in what was considered inconclusive elections, Falake was considered to be only good enough for the position of the deputy and not as Governor. What may appear to be working in this group’s favour are their Federal Might and the fact that they appear to be acting on behalf of the President who is respected by many. Unfortunately, President Mohammad Buhari has adopted a somewhat “not my business” kind of attitude on this matter. Actually, not just on this matter but on many other matters under the public glare. What are the odds against the Abuja mafia? The Law Court and the Will of the Nigerian people who believe that Injustice to any one Nigerian (Faleke) is Injustice to all Nigerians everywhere.

2. The House of PDP with Captain Wada in the cockpit – the current occupier of the throne, a house haunted by a record of under-performance and poor governance. It is also haunted by the strong influence of the ruling party. If PDP was the party at the center, this group may have had a few tricks left in its bag. Without the usual cover from Abuja, they are out in the cold with limited options. This group is probably praying that Faleke will be left out of the incoming government so they can easily get the court to remove whomever the ruling party has imposed on the state. Right now, they have a good chance of getting their wish as Faleke is currently not happy with the party and the party wants him to accept that the party is god and cannot be questioned. Wada’s claim to the throne is based on the fact that Audu died with his votes and so he is the winner. But wait; is Audu the only person in the race? People must understand that the deputy is very much a full-fleshed human and is deserving of some respect for his contribution to the votes/victory or defeat. Wada better pray that Faleke continues to refuse the position of the deputy and Yahaya refuses to release the throne to Faleke; if this prayer is answered, then and only then will Wada find the chance to come close to finding the throne again.

3. The House of Yahaya Bello: The house of Yahaya is solidly built on the support from Abuja. Bello’s interests are the same as Oyegun’s. Bello participated in the primaries and came second; it’s on this premise that the Abuja mafias have brought him in at the 11^th hour to take over the already won votes. Bello has age on his side and he will be the youngest governor in the country should he hold sway after the storm, it will be interesting to see a younger mind in action, for a change. So what are the odds against Bello? He is seen as a supplementary governor who came in through the back door using Abuja connection. After he lost the primaries, instead of closing ranks with the party to help them win the elections he went off to work for another party (allegedly), only to return to claim the victory after the death of Audu. Faleke has decided he will never work with Bello and so he is left with his 6000 supplementary votes against the odds of a PDP take-over. The only legal leg that gives Bello’s election some legitimacy is with Faleke; how to get it remains the biggest challenge of his political career. Yahaya Bello has joined the Game of Thrones in Kogi state; he is currently finding a way to cut the baseline in Falake’s camp and looking also to the extended house of Audu/Igala nation to see if he will find willing allies to regularize his stay in office.

4. The House of Audu/Falake: The unfortunate death of Audu has reduced this house to the House of Falake, although there is a sizable amount of support from the family of late Audu for Faleke to reclaim the Audu/Faleke mandate. For this house, almost 60% of their strength was lost with the death of Audu, but they still have some good fight left to reclaim the throne. Faleke was the running mate of Abubakar Audu, after the latter’s death he became orphaned politically, with his party disowning him and leaving him with no option but to seek the face of the Judiciary for justice. Faleke was at the forefront of the campaign efforts, combing the nook and crannies of the state for support and votes. Now we know why Audu was missing in action on many occasions (he was not in the best of health to go on some of the campaign travels). Having completed the job and delivered the votes, with Audu’s departure the right thing to do would have been to let his deputy continue with the mandate, otherwise what is the whole essence of having a deputy? The odds against Falake are many but easily surmountable if there is any justice in Nigeria. He is considered a stranger in his home state because he is currently representing a part of Lagos state as a member of the House of Representatives. Also, Faleke is considered by some of the elite in Okunland as a visitor to the political terrain of Kogi state, so much so that their silence is deafening on this matter, an attitude that is nothing short of disgraceful, considering the history of marginalization that has been meted to Okun people in the running of Kogi state, and the need to form a common front to further the fortunes of Okun people. Faleke is also seen as a prodigy of Tinubu, and most people do not like Tinubu for his political sagacity; this dislike has been extended to Faleke. It is rather shocking though as Tinubu has paid the price and shown himself to be a force to reckon with from Sokoto to Calabar. Hate him or like him, the man Tinubu, was responsible for giving APC the form and fame she currently enjoys. Removing PDP was a wish many Nigerians expressed, and Tinubu contributed to making it happen when he allowed the marriage of political parties. So Faleke is disadvantaged on these sides but all of these disadvantages put together do not reduce the audacity of his claim to the throne. If there were any justice in the legal system of Nigeria, Falake would be the Governor of Kogi state.
5. The House of Dino Melaye and Clarence: Dino Melaye is a serving senator representing Kogi West, while Clarence is a former speaker of the State Assembly. There are others in this group but these men are the principal partners. Clearly this house only stands for what they can gain from the entire political quagmire that has developed in Kogi state. One will expect these men to stand behind the Okun nation and Faleke considering how deprived the Okun nation has remained since the creation of Kogi state. Senator Melaye has basically turned his back on his constituency on this matter, his reason being party supremacy; he claims to want to do what the party leadership has agreed on. This Senator, Melaye is not one to be considered the doyen of party loyalty, he will only dance to the tune if there is something for him in the music, like his friend FFK, always pretending to serve the people to get their goals. In this instance, Melaye may be working against his constituency because he wants to remain in the good books of the powers that be or has his eyes on the throne. Dino is known to take a different tangent from his party, so this claim of loyalty is lame and fake. He went against the wishes of his party when he was in the House of Representatives and was kicked out eventually; he also went against the wishes of his party to support Saraki in the race for the Senate Presidency, a move that got him a “juicy” committee chairmanship. In this instance, one cannot say for sure what he stands to gain but he surely stands to lose many votes from his constituency in the next elections. He has remained very silent about the injustice done to Faleke and as such, one can conclude he is with the House of Yahaya.

Clarence and co are currently out of job and will follow anybody that knows “the road to Abuja”, they are simply doing the biding of the party for their own selfish interests. If only all Okun sons and daughters, especially the so called leaders can refuse the bowl of “asaro-porridge” and refuse to be cowed, and present a common front on this matter. In any case, Justice may prevail over selfish interest in the ongoing battle for Lugard house. Melaye will face the people in 2019, and then he will be made to explain what role he played in the current political predicament in which the fate of Okun nation hangs in the balance.

6. Okun People of Kogi West Senatorial District: This group consists of the people of Okun nation, from the mountains of Ekinrin-Adde, to the Valleys of Kabba and all over Kogi West. The generality of the people are of the opinion that Faleke, their son, who worked very hard, combing the length and breath of the state for votes should be the one to hold the fort at the exit of Audu. The people are united on this, except for a few dissenters who happen to be in touch with the headship of the party. Basically, Yahaya Bello is doing a good job to make sure he divides the camp of Faleke to win new followers to his side. He is, however, fighting in the wrong direction; his principal battle is to secure Faleke’s trust, anything short of that is a waste of time and money. The people of Kogi West are united on Faleke, irrespective of party supremacy or Abuja connection. Perhaps, the burning question to the Okun people is this, where are the leaders of the people and why can’t we unite to ensure we produce the Governor for the first time? What does the current silence say of us, if this was another ethnic nation, we probably will see a more unified voice? The powers/forces in Abuja have technically sidelined Faleke to impose Bello on the state. Only justice and nothing more, can fight for this group.
7. The Judiciary – the presumed hope for true justice in the matter: This is where the bulk stops. In a civilized country with democratic ideals and principles, only the part of dialogue and seeking redress in the court of law is acceptable. It is hoped that the Judiciary which is the conscience of the nation, will do the right thing and pronounce Faleke as the Governor, seeing that he is only a victim because he is from a “minority group” in Kogi state.

In the final analysis, there is only one Kogi state. While all the politicking may seem right, selfish interest should never prevail over the truth. Yahaya Bello should seek the honorable path of unity, work to resolve this deadlock and allow the state to move forward. Faleke should seek the path of peace and unity as well. The task of unifying Kogi State and ensuring a sustainable economy where everybody in the state can prosper and enjoy remains, during and after the ongoing game of thrones.

Tokunbo Alaga Olorundami- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.