In every functioning democracy, free and fair primaries are not a luxury they are the oxygen that sustains political life. Without them, parties become private estates, leadership becomes entitlement, and the voice of the people is reduced to a mere echo.
Yet today in Kogi State, the most vocal opponents of open primaries are the very individuals who rose to prominence through that same democratic process. This contradiction is not just ironic it is dangerous. It is the clearest expression of political hypocrisy.
Let us revisit history, not for nostalgia, but for truth. If Yahaya Bello had been denied participation in the 2015 APC gubernatorial primary alongside Abubakar Audu, would he have emerged as a central figure in that election? Would fate have placed him in a position to assume leadership after the tragic turn of events? Certainly not. His rise was not accidental it was made possible by a system that allowed competition, inclusion, and internal democracy.
Fast forward to 2022. The same Yahaya Bello was given the platform to contest in the APC presidential primaries that produced Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He campaigned across the country, engaged delegates, and tested his political strength. No gate was shut against him. No excuse was manufactured to exclude him. The process was open, as democracy demands.
Why is the ladder that once lifted them now being kicked away?
Today, those who benefited from competition now fear it. Those who rose through inclusion now preach exclusion. Primaries, which were once celebrated as instruments of legitimacy, are suddenly portrayed as threats. Participation is now labeled rebellion. Aspiration is now seen as disloyalty.
This is not leadership it is insecurity dressed in power.
Worse still, this pattern goes beyond mere hypocrisy; it reflects a deliberate attempt to suffocate the grassroots. Party members who toiled, mobilized, and sacrificed for electoral victories are now treated as expendable. They are denied opportunities, silenced in decision making, and blocked from advancing unless they belong to a narrow inner circle.
They neither empower you, nor allow others to empower you. They close every door and then blame you for standing outside.
A political party that fears its own members has already lost its moral authority. A system that restricts participation to a few families and loyalists is not building strength it is engineering its own collapse. No structure survives long when it is disconnected from its base.
Let us be clear: the success enjoyed by today’s power holders was not self made. It was built on collective effort on the votes of ordinary citizens, the loyalty of party faithful, and the credibility that only transparent processes can provide. To now deny others that same pathway is not just unfair it is betrayal.
Kogi Central cannot afford this regression. Ebiraland cannot be reduced to a political inheritance passed among a select few. The strength of our democracy lies in choice, not control.
The All Progressives Congress, if it truly stands for progress, must demonstrate it not in words, but in action. It must uphold the principle of free, fair, and transparent primaries. Let every aspirant test their popularity. Let delegates vote without intimidation. Let merit, not proximity to power, determine outcomes.
Because when you silence competition, you do not create unity you create resentment. And resentment, when ignored, eventually becomes resistance.
Democracy is not inheritance.
Power is not family property.
Leadership is not a birthright.
The field must be open.
Kogi Central deserves peace.
Ebiraland deserves a voice.
And our politics must move forward not bcourage with justice, fairness, and courage.
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