Eneojo Egbunu
According to Euripides, a Greek Tragedian, “When one with honeyed words but evil mind persuades the mob, great woes befall the state.”
What the tragedian meant was that it is high time societies de-emphasized rhetorics, and place emphasis on practical and measurable realities.
Euripides’ notion finds expression in the third world, or what is today known as the global south (Africa inclusive), where politics is being equated with deception, mendacity and zero-sum game – which winners take all.
It is, however, encouraging to know that there are a few persons, such as Chief Idoko Kingsley Ilonah , the people’s preferred Governor in the 2023 Election, and others in his genre, who who have made truth and honesty, the bedrock of their leadership endeavours. Honesty, in this connection, refers to, honour gained by action or conduct.
On the other hand, deception is “the act of causing someone to accept as true or valid, what is false and invalid”. Cognitive Psychologists believe that lies by politicians impact voters’ behaviour: lies can be used to get others to form false beliefs and garner their support, but its benefits are usually short lived.
For instance, former United States President, Donald Trump, famously made more than 30,000 false or misleading claims during the four years of his presidency. This is an average of more than 20 a day, and his abysmal failure in the 2020 presidential election cannot be separated from this.
Deception is also one of the sources of political violence and instability in Nigeria. For instance, the Niger Delta insurgency, the persistent riots and conflict in the North East part of Nigeria and the prevailing poverty and inequalities, cannot be divorced from insincerity and honeyed deceptions of the political elite.
In the buildup to the 2023 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, cases of aspirants who have no antecedent of accountability and honesty abound, several of them cannot clearly explain how they got their money. Some of them have held political offices in the last 20 years, but have no traceable evidence of possessing genuine concern for the people they wish to lead. Epistemologically speaking, human beings are what they repeatedly do.
One question that requires an answer is, does the number of years a political figure spend in public offices translate into the common good – with no concomitant betterment in their living standards? What this means is that the mere holding of political offices does not solve the governance/leadership and development crises.
Citizens also expect ethical and responsible conduct from politicians and public administrators. Teddy Roosevelt, former Governor of New York, observed that, “Honesty is not so much a credit as an absolute prerequisite to efficient service to the public. Unless a man is honest we have no right to keep him in public life.”
Taking cognizance of Roosevelt’s opinion, one cannot agree more with him that honesty is an ingredient of governance. It means that political wisdom – veiled with deception and vindictiveness – is not enough to muster the momentum of peace, prosperity and progress currently being envisaged in Kogi State. In this regard, Idoko Kingsley Ilonah is a shift from the honeyed deception of political figures.
What makes Chief Idoko Kingsley Ilonah different from other gubernatorial candidates? The governorship election of 2023 seems to have job creation, full salary and pension payment, infrastructural and entrepreneurial development as the main talking points. In this regard, Idoko Kingsley Ilonah outranks every other aspirant given any measurable antecedent.
Having grown the Lona Group in twenty years into an enviable conglomerate (with numerous subsidiaries) that has over 500 persons in its employ in 2023, its indubitably true that he would replicate such feat in the state, as Governor of Kogi State. This record is unbeatable, as one is yet to present any other Candidate who can match that feat.
Also, international capital or Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and other development partners are looking for concerted and determined answers, and these can only be provided by a truthful and honest technocrat in the genre of Chief Idoko Kingsley Ilonah. Truth is, career political figures would subject the peace and unity of the state to their drive for political vendetta.
As Governor of kogi State from January 2024, Idoko Kingsley Ilonah will use his reputational advantage to deepen honesty in the political system and social structure. This is because lies and deception lead to the erosion of social trust.
Therefore, Voting Chief Idoko Kingsley Ilonah of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to succeed Governor Yahaya Adoza Bello will translates into passing on a sense of the value of honesty, integrity, and personal responsibility to the next generation Kogi people.