In the lead-up to the gubernatorial election in Kogi State scheduled for November 11, there has been an unprecedented turnout of large crowds at campaign rallies organized by the dominant political parties, including the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). These leading parties are each asserting their dominance.
However, the key question remains whether the immense rally attendance will translate into victory on election day. With just nine days left until the election, these three parties are intensively campaigning, while members of some smaller parties are switching allegiances.
According to investigations by DAILY POST, the massive crowds at some campaign rallies can be attributed to the candidates’ local popularity and connections. For instance, Ahmed Ododo’s rally in Okene saw an estimated gathering of over 30,000 people, and the SDP and PDP also witnessed unprecedented attendance.
The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Evangelist Kingsley Femi Fanwo, claimed that the crowd at the APC’s rally in Okene attended voluntarily and were not paid to be there.
Similar large turnouts were observed at other rallies, such as the SDP rally in Abocho and Dino Melaye’s PDP rally in Ankpa. Political analysts suggest that the Kogi West senatorial district will play a crucial role in determining the election outcome, particularly the Okun-speaking area and Lokoja-Koto from the seven local government areas.
However, some experts, like Ahmed Muhammed and Hamza Aliyu, believe that the huge crowds at campaign rallies might not necessarily translate into votes on election day. They argue that politicians often incentivize attendees financially and lack clear ideological positions, resulting in campaign events that don’t reflect voters’ true intentions.
Amb. Idris Ozovehe Muraina, chairperson of KONGONET, expressed concern about pre-election violence in Kogi East and called for strong security measures to ensure a peaceful gubernatorial election.
Comrade Idris Abdul Miliki, an activist in Kogi State, lamented that voters were not choosing candidates based on competence and ideology but were instead focusing on ethnicity. He stressed the need to prevent violence and promote issue-based politics in the state.