Society Gists

The People’s Democratic Party has denied the Senator representing Kogi East an automatic ticket to secure yet another term in office.

Aidoko has served 16years in the National Assembly and he faces strong opposition against his return for another term.

Information available has it the PDP has told him to face a primary election to test his popularity against other aspirants.

The party is afraid of putting forward an unpopular candidate.

Aidoko faces great criticism of non – performance from his constituents.

The youths of Kogi East had risen against Aidoko and called on him to put a stop to his re-election campaign.

The youths under the aegis (Kogi Youths Arise Network) led by its coordinator, Mr. Mohammed Misah had condemned those they referred to as social media propagandists, who they said spin lies and launder the image of Aidoko for a political makeover for 2019.

The youths said: “We don’t know what we want, where we are coming from and where we are headed.

“The Igala youths of today have failed to differentiate between their political enemies and political saviours.”

The youths had said that it was under Aidoko’s watch that Ibaji oil wells were ceded to Anambra State.

“Senator Aidoko has provided poor representation, starting from his days in the House of Representatives, where he represented Ankpa/Omala/Olamaboro Federal Constituency from 2003 to 2011, and served as Chairman, House Committee on Federal Capital Territory and later as Chairman, Senate Committee on SEGS.

“As a senator, he can’t point at one single thing as an achievement that we can call his constituency project.

“He is only after his personal interest and that of his godfather, which is not good for our people in need of development.

“In fact, Aidoko is a liability on the good people of Kogi East and he has no political relevance in both the region and at the national level.

The youths noted that Aidoko hails from Ugbamaka-Igah in Olamaboro Local Government Area and that as the chairman, Senate Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, there is “no project that has come to our land.”

Aidoko, they explained, is not in any way familiar with the saying that “charity begins at home,” while stressing that his people have no water, electricity, telephone network, schools, bank and Automated Teller Machine in the entire Olamaboro and “of course, no proper healthcare system yet, we have someone at the Senate representing us.

“Aidoko that we know always visits Igalaland at night and sneaks out before the crack of dawn.

“We can’t continue to wallow in this politics of stagnation where some wicked few individuals will gather together to oppose everything that is good for our land.

“Our region has suffered so much neglect despite the facts that we have several opportunities to develop, but we have been suffering so much neglect because of the attitude of some of our leaders.‎”

Rattled by the party’s decision not to give him an automatic ticket in the face of growing unpopularity, sources claim Aidoko has turned a regular visitor to the home of returnee Senator Dino Melaye.

Aidoko is said to be pleading with Melaye to use his connection with Senate President Bukola Saraki to help him secure the re-election ticket via the October 1 primary of the PDP.

The embattled Senator is also alleged to be working other influential individuals in and out of Kogi state to achieve the same objective.

These efforts are said to be outside alleged attempts to get the ‘’delegates list” to favor his re-election bid ahead of October 1, 2018, primary election of the PDP.