THE ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) went ahead to hold a rally on Monday, November 17, in Kogi State, few hours after the tragic abduction of Schoolgirls from their hostel in Kebbi in the early hours of Monday.
The 25 girls were abducted by gunmen who also killed a security guard and a vice principal of the school. This is not the first time such an abduction has taken place, for which timeline has also revealed that in the last decade, 1,000 schoolchildren were kidnapped in 10 years, as The ICIR reported.
The rally reported by some media outlets and posted on the official state website saw the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, welcoming several defectors from the opposition party.
He said, “I am going back to Abuja to deliver the message to Mr President, the message from the Confluence state today is that President Ahmed Bola Tinubu victory in 2027 is total.”
In 2014, the then president, Jonathan came under criticism for attending and dancing at a politically rally while Nigerians mourned victims of a bomb blast in Abuja.
The Kogi rally has also come under criticism.
A social media user, @ApexHodde, expressed concern about Nigerian leaders’ inability to set priorities right.
“Nigerian leaders travelled for a very important political event in Kogi. That event is far more important than ordinary Nigerian loves,” he tweeted.
On the heel of the the criticism, the Kogi state government released a statement from the event which has the former governor Yahya Bello saying:
“Today, we are endorsing President Tinubu and Alhaji Ahmed Ododo for a second term.
“They have done well, and will continue to do more for the state and the nation as far as the people of Kogi State are concerned.
“We are telling President Bola Tinubu that he does not need to come and campaign for his reelection in Kogi in 2027, because Kogi people are solidly behind him.”
In addition, in a different post the state governor, Ahmed Ododo described the defection of a former governor Idris Wada to the ruling APC as a boost to the APC’s Kogi fortune.
He said, “The list of the decampees is endless. In Kogi State, opposition has been grounded; Kogi is APC, and APC is Kogi State. My Special appreciation to Mr President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Vice, His Excellency Alhaji Kashim Shettima. We are here to let people know that our responsibility is to serve our people well,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, a former minister and social activist, Oby Ezekwesili, on her official social media handle has called on the government to mount a search and rescue mission.
She said, “the lessons of the failure of @NigeriaGov@NIGPresidemt to swiftly mount effective search and Rescue Operations for ChibokGirls2014 and DapchGirls (2018) through the security establishments are evident to guide this administration.
“Those school girls have no reason to spend one day in the enclave of terrorists,” Ezekwesil tweeted.
Within the past three administrations, the abduction of school children has generated millions in ransom for kidnappers, as fresh attacks prove no end in sight for the menace.
From former President Goodluck Jonathan to Muhammad Buhari and now Bola Tinubu, more than 1,000 students have been kidnapped between 2014 and March 2024.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.