• Say East will no longer be appendage to any political bloc Sunday Aborisade in Abuja Ahead of the 2027 general election, critical stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi East Senatorial District have declared their total support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, while demanding a fresh and equitable framework for political power rotation in Kogi State. The stakeholders, who spoke through a communiqué issued at the end of their Strategic Leadership Conference in Abuja and made available to THISDAY on Saturday, said Kogi East would no longer accept a political arrangement that relegated the senatorial district to the status of an appendage of another political bloc. They also called for direct negotiations with political stakeholders from Kogi Central and Kogi West on what they described as “distinct, transparent and equitable” terms to establish a predictable framework for power transition and inclusive development in the state. The stakeholders said their immediate priority was to ensure victory for the APC in the January/February 2027 general election, particularly the re-election of Tinubu and the victory of all APC candidates contesting National and State Assembly seats. They further pledged to mobilise support for Governor Ododo’s re-election for a second term in the November 2027 governorship election. According to them, the political objective was not merely to win elections but to reposition Kogi East within the mainstream of state and national politics and secure what they described as the “deserved share of development” for the district. The communiqué noted that Kogi East had recorded the highest bloc vote for President Tinubu among the three senatorial districts of Kogi State in the 2023 presidential election, stressing that the district was prepared to increase its contribution to the APC in 2027. He said: “We look forward to increasing our electoral contributions to the APC and to strengthening our collaboration with our fellow compatriots from Kogi Central and Kogi West Senatorial Districts to return power to Kogi East. “However, we are resolved to mobilise total support for the incumbent governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, and his re-election for his second term come 2027.” The declaration came against the backdrop of what the stakeholders described as more than a decade of political fractures, disaffection and missed opportunities in Kogi State following the 2015 governorship election and the death of the late former governor, Prince Abubakar Audu. They said attempts to achieve political realignment in 2019 and 2023 were not sustained, leaving ordinary citizens of Kogi East to bear the consequences of prolonged political disagreements. The stakeholders insisted that the time had come to heal the wounds, rebuild trust among the three senatorial districts and establish a new political understanding based on equity, inclusion and mutual respect. They said: “We refuse to allow old wounds to permanently damage the deep historical linkages between the people of the various sections of Kogi State. “Our only path to reawaken the political strength of Kogi East is to encourage healthy collaboration with the other sections of the state and negotiate truthfully for all that our people deserve. “We reject any attempt to make Kogi East an appendage of any group in the state.” The stakeholders invoked the political legacy of Prince Audu, saying his philosophy was anchored on statewide unity, inclusion, dialogue and equitable distribution of development. They recalled that during Audu’s administration, major projects were conceived and executed across the three senatorial districts, including the establishment of the state university in Anyigba and the Obajana Cement Project, as well as roads and other civic infrastructure. They argued that the late governor’s political philosophy should be revived as the foundation for a new era of cooperation in Kogi State. “That is the true political philosophy we must revive today: vision, selflessness, courage, fraternity, equity and shared purpose,” the communiqué stated. The stakeholders also demanded an immediate shift towards a predictable political transition arrangement, arguing that sustainable development could not be achieved where political succession remained a source of tension. According to them, “We assemble here today to lay a solid foundation for Kogi East to be part of a realistic, predictable and harmonious political transition in Kogi State. “We call for an immediate shift towards building consensus, renegotiating power transfer and rotation, and establishing an inclusive, development-driven agenda that guarantees equit
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