Idris begins strategising for March 12 election

By Niyi Adebimpe - 13.02.2008

THERE are indications that the former Kogi State governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, whose whereabouts remained unknown at the weekend, may have gone into solitude in Abuja, strategising for fresh election billed to be held in the state on March 12.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that Idris, out of conviction that he needed some time to cool off from pressures which kept on mounting on him over his next line of action after the Appeal Court judgment last week, decided to retire into seclusion.

According to impeccable sources, the former governor also resorted to taking time off from the state to map out the strategies to win the election.

One of the sources in the Idris’ camp disclosed that the controversy over the whereabouts of the former governor arose from the stern warning which he (Idris) had earlier issued to his aides not to disclose his whereabouts.

Idris’ warning to his aides, according to the source, had been hinged on “security reasons,” adding that the former governor had been constantly getting in touch with his close aides from time to time from his solitude.

The embattled former governor, sources further disclosed, was also being kept abreast of relevant information on arrangements being made by his aides and other chieftains of his party in taking the state by storm during the flagging off of his campaign for the fresh election.

Meanwhile, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the flagging off of the campaign for the re-election of the former governor would be held on Saturday, Nigerian Tribune can authoritatively reveal.

It was gathered that besides the flooding of major streets of Lokoja township, the Kogi State capital, and its environs with campaign posters of Idris, chieftains of the PDP in the state as well as members of the former governor’s campaign organisation are not leaving any stone unturned in the task of ensuring that the flagging off ceremony was done in grand style.

According to sources, as soon as the Appeal Court judgment which ordered for fresh governorship election in the state was delivered, consultations among relevant stakeholders within the party began so as to ensure that the opposition political parties did not sweep the polls.

Their decision was said to be informed by the planned resolve of the opposition political parties to team up and field a consensus candidate in order to give Idris and by extension, Kogi PDP a good run for their money during the fresh governorship election.

“We are not taking things for granted at all, especially as the opposition political parties have vowed to do everything in order to defeat us. Though we know that they cannot, but we want to win the fresh election ordered by the Appeal Court convincingly as we did in 2007 polls to show the opposition that they are nowhere,” said one of the sources within Idris’ camp.

Efforts to get the reaction of the camp of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) governorship candidate, Prince Audu Abubakar, proved abortive as the cell phone of his Chief of Staff, Mr. Dan Okolo, was switched off when the Nigerian Tribune called.