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Tag: Kogi East

  • 2027: Why Kogi East must return Echocho

    2027: Why Kogi East must return Echocho

    By Alfred Omachi

    As the countdown to the 2027 general elections begins, political activities across the country are gradually shifting from speculation to mobilisation. In Kogi East Senatorial District, the stakes could not be higher. Aspirants are warming up, consultations are ongoing, and political interests are beginning to crystallise. This is normal in a democracy, and every qualified citizen has the constitutional right to aspire.

    However, politics is not only about ambition; it is also about strategy, timing, and collective interest. For Kogi East, the critical question is not just who wants to go to the Senate, but who best serves the present and future interests of the district.

    That question leads inevitably to one name: Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho. Kogi East is not new to political marginalisation. Over the years, the district has had to struggle for fair attention, infrastructure, and influence at the federal level. In such a context, representation at the National Assembly cannot be reduced to trial-and-error politics.

    Currently representing the district is Senator Echocho, a two-term senator who has not only found his footing in the Senate but has also demonstrated a growing understanding of the legislative process, committee politics, and power dynamics in Abuja.

    Legislation is a game of experience and relationships. Senators who are just arriving spend valuable years learning the ropes, understanding procedure, building alliances, and earning trust. By the time they are effective, their term is almost over. Kogi East cannot afford to keep starting afresh every four years.

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    In parliamentary politics, seniority is not cosmetic, it is the currency. Committee chairmanships, ranking positions, leadership slots, and influence over budgetary decisions are largely determined by experience and tenure. By the Standing Rules of the Senate, only ranking members who have spent a number of years in the Senate are usually qualified to vie for leadership positions in the Senate.

    As a third-term senator, Echocho would be strategically positioned to vie for key leadership roles; chair or influence powerful committees; negotiate more effectively for federal projects and attract attention to long-standing developmental needs of Kogi East.

    These opportunities are rarely available to first-term senators, no matter how brilliant or well-intentioned they may be. Returning Echocho is therefore not about sentiment or loyalty; it is about placing Kogi East where decisions are made. Politics rewards continuity. Development efforts, constituency projects, legislative interventions, and policy engagements benefit from sustained follow-through. Senator Echocho’s tenure has provided a level of stability and institutional memory that should not be casually discarded.

    This is not to suggest that others lack capacity or ideas. Far from it. But capacity alone is not enough in a system where access, leverage, and timing shape outcomes. The Senate is not a training ground; it is a battleground for influence.

    Kogi East must ask itself a hard question; is this the time to retire a senator who is just approaching his most effective phase? One of the biggest risks facing any senatorial district is political irrelevance. When a district consistently sends inexperienced lawmakers, it becomes easy to sideline. When it presents seasoned legislators with institutional weight, it commands attention.

    Returning Echocho in 2027 sends a clear message: Kogi East understands the rules of national politics and intends to play smartly. This is especially important in a period when competition for federal presence, appointments, and projects is intensifying across states and regions.

    Elections are about choices, but wise choices are guided by context. 2027 is not the time for Kogi East to gamble with its representation or retreat into political experimentation. It is a time to consolidate gains, strengthen influence, and maximise opportunities.

    Supporting Senator Echocho for a third term does not foreclose future leadership. Rather, it buys the district time, leverage, and relevance assets that can later be transferred to the next generation of leaders.

    The argument for returning Echocho is not about personality; it is about interest. It is about ensuring that Kogi East is not shut out of serious conversations at the national level. It is about recognising that legislative experience is cumulative and that influence is built over time.

    In 2027, Kogi East must look beyond individual ambition and embrace collective advantage. This is not the time to retire Echocho. This is the time to return him—stronger, more experienced, and better positioned to deliver even more for the district. Kogi East deserves strategic representation.

    2027 demands continuity. Echocho remains the smart choice.

    Dr Alfred Omachi, FCT, Abuja, omachialfred225@gmail.com

  • Kogi East stakeholders: No room for violence

    Kogi East stakeholders: No room for violence

    Kogi East stakeholders have urged Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate, Muritala Ajaka  to embrace peace before, during and after the November 11 poll.

    They advised his supporters to shun violence, saying it is capable of disenfranchising voters in the zone.

    They also said violence may work against serious contenders from Kogi East.

    The stakeholders under the aegis of Kogi East Patriotic Association, accused Ajaka of needless and reckless propaganda.

    They said nothing should be allowed to threaten security of Kogi State. 

    They spoke at press briefing in Abuja on the allegation of attempted assassination by the SDP candidate and the involvement of a Police officer who was severely injured by thugs.

    The stakeholders, who said they were not campaigning for any candidate in the forthcoming governorship election, noted that Kogi State indigenes and Nigerians were aware that other candidates from opposition parties have been going about their campaigns without bloodshed or violence.

    In their view, the SDP and its candidate should emulate these candidates.

    The Convener, Kogi East Patriotic Association, Abdulkadir Ojonugwa, who addressed the press on behalf of others, said, “We have never had a governorship candidate like the SDP candidate, Muritala Yakubu, in the history of Kogi State politics.

    Read Also: Kogi APC primary: Why I appealed to Supreme Court, by Adeyemi

    “His handlers are also as clueless and have failed to realise that while elections would go on smoothly in other parts of the state and others would record more wins, their gameplan would only decimate the votes in Kogi East at the detriment of serious contenders. And we say no to this. Enough is enough.”

    They accused the SDP of creating tension in the region while its leaders refuse to honour Police invitations.

    Ojonugwa, who hails from Olamaboro Council,  said: “Our people are getting fed up with all these violent shenanigans and if the Police and the state government refuse to do the needful, the people of Kogi East will have no choice than to take their destiny in their hands.”

    On the Police officer in the purported video of assault, the stakeholders said: “The Police officer seen in that video would have been made to say things under duress to save his own life because that was the only way that man could still be alive today.

    “We could hear clearly as the thugs were shouting to be allowed to kill a police officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria inside a Police Station and turning around to blame all that on the state government.”

    Ojonugwa added: “As bona-fide citizens of Kogi State from Kogi East, it is our desire to see a peaceful and credible election in our dear state. We have been monitoring developments in the state since the beginning of the campaign for the Kogi State governorship election and the trend of campaign of ethnic divisionism and violence has not escaped our attention. 

    “Our sense of urgency in arranging for this emergency Press Conference was further heightened by the violence we witnessed in Kogi State whereby a senior Police officer was almost lynched allegedly by the thugs of the Social Democratic Party under the spurious claims that he was involved in an attack against the convoy of Mr Murtala Ajaka.

    “First, we must call on the highest authorities of the Nigeria Police to swiftly arrest all individuals who were involved in that dastardly act. If you watch that video closely,  you will hear some people shouting ‘let us kill this idiot. You will die today’ and so on. And to think that they succeeded in gaining access inside the Idah Police station and almost succeeded in killing that Police Officer inside the Police station was more than scary and so unfathomable.

    “SDP has perfected the means of engaging in propaganda to blame every violence it orchestrates on the state’s government, but every Kogite no longer buys the story. What happened was a stage-managed  bloody violence scripted by  thugs”

    The stakeholders added that no matter the alleged “evil propaganda and lies manufactured daily”, Kogi East votes had already been dedicated to those deserving of the votes.

    Ojonugwa,said:””Even amongst us in Igala land, we know who we can trust. But we’re not here to campaign for anybody, but to warn those whose stock in trade is orchestrating violence and playing the victim that they can’t put all of us at risk because of their unpopular ambition.

    “We stand for peace, justice and credible election on November 11 and whoever will make that impossible must be caged by security agents before that time. The continued security, peace and prosperity of Kogi State is our ultimate desire and we will do everything to make it happen.

    “We condemn politics of ethnic bigotry and violence in all ramifications. We are educated, knowledgeable and reasonable people in Kogi East and we will not tolerate dishonorable conduct from any politician even if he is our brother or sister.”

  • Saraki swears in Alfa as Kogi East senator

    Less than three months to the end of the eighth Senate, Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday swore in Air Vice Marshal Isaac Mohammed Alfa as the senator representing Kogi East.

    Alfa replaced Senator Atai Aidoko Ali, who was sacked by the court.

    The inauguration of Alfa yesterday marked the end of a lengthy legal battle over who was the rightful winner of the 2014 senatorial election in Kogi East.

    The Supreme Court, in its judgement, affirmed Alfa as the rightful People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate to represent Kogi East in the 2014 election.

    Finding showed that there was discussion on Tuesday between Saraki and Aidoko to the effect that Alfa should be sworn in as Kogi East senator.

    Read also: Buhari: our best’ll be good enough for Nigeria

    Alfa secured favourable court judgements in the last four years from the High Court up to the Supreme Court on the issue.

    The former Air Chief had on several occasions accused the Senate leadership of disobeying Supreme Court judgements on his inauguration.

    The Supreme Court on January 23, 2019, gave a final judgment that paved the way for the eventual inauguration of Alfa.

  • INEC declares Kogi East Senate poll inconclusive

    Kogi East Senate poll inconclusive, as APC wins Central

     

    Kogi East result

    APC – 113,772

    PDP – 69,131

    ADC – 30,696

    Election declared inconclusive. Voting didn’t hold in 129 polling units.

    Kogi Central

    APC – 76,183
    PDP – 18_349
    SDP – 48,326

    Yakubu Oseni (APC) declared winner

  • Two feared dead in Kogi East, as violence erupts

    There were conflicting reports over the number of persons that died yon Saturday in Anyigba, Dekina local government, Kogi State, as suspected thugs made to disrupt voting in the area.

    Two persons reportedly lost their lives at the Ajetachi polling unit, opposite OLS, Anyigba, in the Kogi East Senatorial district, when political thugs stormed the area.

    They shot sporadically in all directions, leading to the death of a nineteen-year-old boy, simply identified as Usman, while a woman who was on the queue to cast her ballot was seriously injured.

    At Agbeji, thugs who invaded two polling unit tried to force the Presiding Officers (PO) to sign completed result sheets.

    Read Also: Controversy over mass arrests in Kogi

    The Pos, however, refused, and took to their heels, resulting in the disruption of the exercise.

    Meanwhile, in Igalamela-Odolu, Kogi East Senatorial district, the embattled state house of assembly member, Friday Makama, was reportedly abducted by persons disguised in police uniform.

    He was, however, rescued by some of his loyalists, who blocked the vehicle with which his abductors whisked him away.

    He was said to have been handcuffed by the said abductors.

    A man was reportedly shot during the ensuing rescue operation.

    Igalamela-Odolu is a PDP stronghold.

  • Kogi East: Court orders NASS to swear-in Alfa

    …Rejects fresh suit by Aidoko

    A Federal High Court in Abuja finally laid to rest on Thursday the protracted dispute over who between Air Marshal Issac Alfa and Attai Aidoko was the actual candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the Kogi East Senatorial District in the 2015 election.

    Justice Anwuli Chikere, in a judgment on Thursday upheld an earlier judgment by Justice Gabriel Kolawole (formerly of the Federal High Court, Abuja) which found Alfa as the actual candidate for the seat, and ordered the Clerk of the National Assembly to swear him (Alfa) in to replace Aidoko, who the court ordered to vacate the seat.

    Justice Chikere’s judgment was on a fresh motion by Aidoko, in which he prayed the court to, among others, determine the validity or otherwise of the judgment delivered by Justice Kolawole in 2018 following a retrial ordered by the Supreme Court.

    Aidoko had appealed the judgment by Justice Kolawole up to the Supreme Court, but lost.

    The Supreme Court had, in its last judgment on the case, on January 23 this year, dismissed Aidoko’s appeal on the grounds that it was unmeritorious and statute barred.

    The apex court upheld an earlier decision of the Court of Appeal, Abuja which affirmed the judgment by Justice Kolawole, in favour of Alfa.

    Read Also: INEC begins deployment of electoral materials in Ekiti

    Rather than accept his fate, Aidoko, again, went back before the Federal High Court to have the court reverse Justice Kolawole’s judgment, which has been upheld up to the Supreme Court.

    In her judgment on Thursday, Justice Chikere was of the view that based on the principles of stare decisis, (the hierarchy of courts) it would amount to judicial rascality for her to sit on a case that had been decided by the Supreme Court.

    Justice Chikere proceeded to strike out Aidoko’s motion and reaffirmed the judgment by Justice Kolawole.

    She also ordered the leadership of the National Assembly to urgently swear-in Alfa to replace the sacked Aidoko.

  • Alfa: Senate indulging in double standard over Kogi East

    The last may not have been heard about the battle for the Kogi East seat in the Senate, less than a year to the end of the Eighth National Assembly. Air Marshal Isaac Mohammed Alfa (retd.) is insisting that he should be sworn in as senator, based on court judgments. Atai Aidoko is asking him to wait until the Appeal Court decides the winner. In this interview with ONYEDI OJIABOR, Alfa explains why the Senate leadership should swear him in without further delay.

    THE Federal High Court has declared you as the winner of Kogi East senatorial election and asked the National Assembly to withdraw recognition from Senator Atai Aidoko. What is holding your inauguration?

    The Supreme Court judgment referred the case to the High Court and decided that the High Court should determine who the rightful person to occupy the seat is. As we speak, I have three court judgments in my favour. First, the Supreme Court judgment decided that the case should be tried afresh. The judgment went on to say emphatically that the ruling by the High Court shall determine who represents Kogi East in the Senate. The Supreme Court judgment made it clear that Kogi East had no senator in the Senate. Despite the judgment, which we forwarded to the leadership of the National Assembly, the National Assembly still allowed Aidoko to resume in the Senate.

    The second judgment of the Court of Appeal, which refused to interpret the Supreme Court judgment, not only ruled that by the judgment of the Supreme Court any Certificate of Return earlier given to Aidoko became null and void and of no effect whatsoever, but also went further to punish Aidoko for abuse of court process, by awarding N1m cost in my favour. This also reinforced the fact that Aidoko could not continue to sit in the Senate, because he had no valid Certificate of Return from anywhere. Despite sending this clear and unambiguous judgment to the National Assembly, the lawmakers decided to keep Aidoko in the Senate.

    The third and latest judgment in obedience to the Supreme Court order to try the case afresh and determine who is the rightful owner of Kogi East seat was given also in my favour in a declaratory judgment asking the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to issue me a certificate of return and asking the National Assembly to swear me in and asking the National Assembly to cease forthwith any perquisites accorded to Aidoko as a senator. The order was with immediate effect.

    The High Court order declaratorily said: “In the exercise of the Court’s inherent disciplinary jurisdiction, the Clerk of the National Assembly I hereby directed to forthwith withdraw all the privileges, rights and perquisites of office with the third defendant (Aidoko) hitherto enjoyed as a ‘Member of the Senate’ and shall convey to the Senate President, the decision of this Court that he should forthwith withdraw further recognition to the third defendant as a ‘Member of the 8th National Assembly’ whose purported election into the Senate is by this judgment, nullified because, he was not duly nominated by the first defendant (the Peoples Democratic Party) in the aftermath of the Kogi East senatorial district primary election held on 7/12/14, which he did not win as an ‘aspirant.”

    The court went on to declare: “That the plaintiff shall be issued by the second defendant, (INEC) with a ‘Certificate of Return’ as the duly elected Senator for Kogi East senatorial district, and the Clerk of the National Assembly shall immediately administer the Oath of Office on the plaintiff as a ‘Senator’ representing  Kogi East senatorial district of Kogi State, who shall immediately take over the seat of the third defendant in the hallowed chambers of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

    Despite all these, even when we forwarded the judgment to the National Assembly, with the consequential order and another court order refusing to stay execution, the National Assembly has, up till now, not sworn me in.

    So, what is hindering the Senate from doing the needful?

    You should ask the leadership of the Senate. In a fragrant disregard of the four court orders, the Senate still allowed Aidoko to remain in the chamber. Several people have called me and pointed out to me evidences of the National Assembly in this case indulging in double standard and based on the fact that when I was in the Senate and Aidoko brought a court judgment, I pointed it out to the Senate leadership that I had already appealed to the Court of Appeal. The Senate leadership told me clearly that they only obey court order and not notice of appeal. Now that I have a valid court order and my Certificate of Return, why are they not swearing me in, especially because precedence had been set already? Why the double standard?

    One important fact is that at the time I was in the Senate, when the leadership of the Senate decided to swear Aidoko in, I was there on an earlier judgment, that I won election and was given Certificate of Return. This time around, Aidoko does not possess any Certificate of Return, by virtue of the three judgments. Therefore, Aidoko is sitting in the Senate illegally, going by all the explanations I have given. Aidoko has nothing to stand on to appeal. The Senate cannot put something on nothing. It cannot stand, because by virtue of the three judgments, Aidoko is not in the Senate whatsoever. It is obvious that the Senate leadership has kept him there illegally.

    Since the Senate leadership is keeping Aidoko in the Senate illegally, what next?

    To my mind, the Senate is going through a lot in the public opinion of the citizens of this country right now that it cannot out of favour for personal reasons, connections, allegiance, friendship and otherwise afford to sacrifice its reputation in the interest of just one person who the various courts in the land had declared unqualified to occupy that seat.

    To continue to keep Aidoko in the Senate and to continue to refuse to swear me in, the Senate is disobeying legitimate multiple court orders and have no moral right to criticize the executive.

    But I’m hopeful that the leadership of the Senate, because of the sanctity of that institution, will eventually resolve to put justice above personal favour and loyalty and do the right thing by obeying the court orders and swear me in as quickly as possible, because the life of the 8th Senate is almost running out. Protecting the sanctity of the Senate is paramount when compared to personal loyalty consideration.

    Doing the right thing will prevent the Senate from unnecessary public attention over numerous and uncountable litigations that might follow, especially from citizens of Kogi East who feel so aggrieved that the Senate has for so long denied them of their choice of representation.

    Aidoko is insisting that the order that the Clerk should swear you in was wrong. He also said that he has a pending appeal that should be decided…

    The Clerk of the National Assembly is the administrative head of the National Assembly. The Senate President is Chairman of the National Assembly, the two chambers. At the inauguration of the Eighth Assembly, it was the Clerk that administered the oath of office to all the senators. It was after they were inaugurated that they voted to choose Bukola Saraki as Senate President. When a new senator is to be sworn in, it is the Clerk of the Senate that administers the oath of office in the presence of the Senate President. The Senate President never reads the oath nor administers the oath.

    Therefore, the judge was right in his ruling and pronouncement. The judge in his ruling even directed the Clerk to inform the Senate President accordingly that all perquisites should be withdrawn from Aidoko. The judgment is declaratory and binding on all those mentioned and it is so unfortunate that Senator Aidoko, according to some uninformed lawyers, can be exposing their absolute ignorance of the law to the public.

    What is your next line of action?

    This is the sixth time Aidoko is sitting on what does not belong to him. Previously, he had collected people’s mandates five times through the back door, by using the court without winning any election. First, he collected the mandate of Joe Agada through the court; secondly he collected that of Barrister Kabiru Usman through the court; third he collected the mandate of Hassan Enape through the court; fourth he collected the mandate of Senator Dangana Ocheja (a sitting senator) through the court and he also collected another sitting senator’s mandate (Abdulrahman Abubakar) through the court.

    In all of these, Aidoko had never won any primary. He is attempting to collect mine like he collected the others, but I am determined that he will never succeed. Aidoko had boasted that as long as the leadership of the Senate is there, we can never remove him. My belief is that power belongs to God and anybody exercising power, whether through INEC, courts or the leadership of the National Assembly, should be by the need to do justice, because God is justice.

     

  • Kogi East elders urge Bello to be fair

    Kogi East elders urge Bello to be fair

    A group, the Kogi East Elders Council (KEEC), has urged Governor-elect Yahaya Bello to keep the historical bonds that unite ethnic groups in Kogi State dating back to the Kabba Province.

    The group, in a statement yesterday in Lokoja, said the tragedy of maladministration, which characterised the state since its creation, was at the expense of ethnic groups and communities, including Kogi East people, who were perceived to have dominated the political scene.

    In the statement by Senator Ahmadu Ali, Chief Gabriel Aduku, AVM Saluhu Atawodi (rtd) and Mr. Alphonsus Alhassan, the body said contrary to perception, orchestrated propaganda and insinuations, Kogi East people accepted the inevitability of power shift “and this accounted for the support delegates from the zone gave to the Ebira and Yoruba during the 2014 Constitutional Conference where the two ethnic groups canvassed power shift.”