Politics
Kogi Must Appreciate Tinubu, Ododo Tells Yomikola Structure
By Abah Benjamin Eneojoh
Government House, Lokoja
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has called on the people of the state to reciprocate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s support for Kogi with overwhelming loyalty and votes, declaring that the President’s Renewed Hope administration has demonstrated uncommon commitment to the development of the state and Nigeria at large.
Governor 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, Rt. Hon. Prince Matthew Kolawole, at the Government House, Lokoja. He commended the group for its loyalty, sacrifice and commitment to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Governor, who described President Tinubu as a leader who has deliberately chosen to strengthen the states by making more resources available for development, said Kogi people must recognise and appreciate the President’s interventions rather than allow partisan politics and misinformation to obscure the impact of his administration.
According to Ododo, the resources being deployed by his administration to execute projects and improve the lives of Kogi people are closely linked to the support coming from the Federal Government under President Tinubu.
He said the President’s intervention had significantly improved the financial capacity of sub-national governments, stressing that the increased resources available to states had enabled governors to embark on projects that would otherwise have remained 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 declared.
The Governor specifically highlighted the ongoing transformation of the Abaji-Koton Karfe-Lokoja-Benin Expressway, describing it as one of the most significant infrastructure interventions of the Tinubu administration in Kogi State.
He recalled that the road had remained abandoned for many years despite its strategic importance, noting that President Tinubu had demonstrated the political will to revive the project because of its importance to national connectivity and economic development.
The Governor also commended President Tinubu for his personal support in the fight against insecurity, revealing that whenever the state required federal intervention, the President had consistently opened doors to the nation’s security architecture.
“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,” Ododo said, attributing the relative peace currently being enjoyed in Kogi to the combined efforts of his administration and the support of the Federal Government.
He also appealed to members of Team Yomikola to remain united and avoid allowing politicians to use them against one another, stressing that the strength of the APC in Kogi remained its ability to accommodate divergent interests while pursuing the common good.
The Governor described Rt. Hon. Prince Matthew Kolawole as a critical stakeholder in his administration and praised him for his demonstrated commitment to peace, loyalty and the development of his people.
Earlier, Kolawole explained that his decision to step down from the political contest in the interest of the party was motivated by loyalty, peace and the larger interest of the constituency.
He said the over 400 persons present at the meeting represented only a fraction of the wider Yomikola political structure spread across polling units in Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, assuring the Governor that whatever message or directive he gave would be transmitted to their people at the grassroots.
Kolawole also announced a series of programmes designed to mobilise support for President Tinubu and Governor Ododo, including engagements with traditional rulers and elites, a Kogi Summit, town-hall meetings, street sensitisation and empowerment programmes across the constituency.
The former Speaker also appealed to the Governor to consider more members of the Yomikola political family for appointments, stressing that many of the group’s members had remained committed to the APC from its formative years.
The Executive Chairman of Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, Hon. (Barr.) Zacchaeus Dare Michael, commended both the Governor and the former Speaker, describing Kolawole as a political mentor whose influence had produced several grassroots actors.
He urged the Governor to continue to strengthen the relationship with the political structure, saying its members possessed the grassroots capacity to mobilise support for the APC.
Also speaking, Hon. Adam Kamaldeen Toyin, APC’s Critical Stakeholder from Ijumu Local Government, described the gathering as evidence of the depth of the Yomikola political structure, assuring the Governor that the message delivered at the Government House would be taken to the remotest communities of Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu.
He expressed confidence that the structure would work for the success of the APC and ensure the re-election of President Tinubu in 2027 as well as the continuation of Governor Ododo’s administration through 2031.