Tinubu Support for Kogi: Ododo Seeks 2027 Votes »

Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo, has urged residents to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing the Federal Government’s interventions in infrastructure, security and state development.

Ododo made the call on Thursday when he received the Team Yomikola political structure, led by former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Prince Matthew Kolawole, at the Government House in Lokoja.

The governor said President Tinubu had demonstrated commitment to strengthening states by making more resources available for development, adding that Kogi’s increased capacity to execute projects was linked to support from the Federal Government.

According to Ododo, the resources available to his administration had enabled the state government to undertake projects that would otherwise have been difficult to finance.

“Let us show appreciation. We should let people know that Kogi people appreciate good things. We are not ungrateful people. We should show appreciation by voting for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, APC, 100 per cent, so that he can continue to build on his achievements,” Ododo said.

The governor specifically cited the ongoing transformation of the Abaji-Koton Karfe-Lokoja-Benin Expressway as one of the major infrastructure interventions of the Tinubu administration in Kogi State.

He said the road had remained abandoned for many years despite its strategic importance, adding that the Federal Government’s decision to revive the project demonstrated its importance to national connectivity and economic development.

Ododo also commended President Tinubu for his support in addressing insecurity in the state, saying the President had consistently facilitated access to the country’s security agencies whenever the state required federal intervention.

“Anytime I called him, he linked me with the DSS, he linked me with the IG personally. The Chief of Army Staff, he called them. Anytime I had issues, I called him, he called them, and immediately,” the governor said.

Ododo attributed the relative peace in Kogi to the combined efforts of his administration and the support of the Federal Government.

He also urged members of Team Yomikola to remain united and resist attempts by politicians to divide the group, saying the strength of the APC in Kogi depended on its ability to accommodate different interests while pursuing the common good.

The governor described Kolawole as a critical stakeholder and commended him for what he described as his commitment to peace, loyalty and the development of his people.

Earlier, Kolawole said his decision to step down from the political contest in the interest of the APC was motivated by loyalty, peace and the wider interest of the constituency.

He said the more than 400 people present at the meeting represented only a fraction of the wider Yomikola political structure spread across polling units in the Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency.

Kolawole assured the governor that any message or directive given to the group would be communicated to its members at the grassroots.

He also announced plans for engagements with traditional rulers and political elites, a Kogi Summit, town-hall meetings, street sensitisation and empowerment programmes across the constituency as part of efforts to mobilise support for President Tinubu and Governor Ododo.

The former Speaker further appealed to the governor to consider more members of the Yomikola political family for appointments, noting that many had remained committed to the APC from its formative years.

The Executive Chairman of Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, Zacchaeus Dare Michael, commended Ododo and Kolawole, describing the former Speaker as a political mentor whose influence had produced several grassroots political actors.

Michael urged the governor to continue strengthening his relationship with the political structure, saying its members had the grassroots capacity to mobilise support for the APC.

Also speaking, Adam Kamaldeen Toyin, an APC critical stakeholder from Ijumu Local Government Area, said the gathering demonstrated the depth of the Yomikola political structure.

He assured the governor that the message delivered at the Government House would be taken to communities across Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu.

Toyin expressed confidence that the structure would work for the success of the APC, including supporting President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027 and the continuation of Governor Ododo’s administration through 2031.