There is a deliberate attempt to normalize falsehoods until they are mistaken for truth. Let it be stated clearly: not everyone is wired to accept injustice as destiny.
Kogi State has 21 Local Government Areas. By the Electoral Act, any candidate seeking to be Governor must secure the highest votes AND 25% in at least 2/3 of all LGAs — that is 14 LGAs.
Let us examine the numbers without sentiment:
LGA Spread by Senatorial District
- Kogi East: 9 LGAs
- Kogi West: 7 LGAs
- Kogi Central: 5 LGAs
The Constitutional Test:
- Proposed West + Central Alliance: 7 + 5 = 12 LGAs
Result: Constitutionally insufficient. It falls short of the required 14 LGAs. - Proposed West + East Alliance: 7 + 9 = 16 LGAs
Result: Constitutionally viable. It meets and exceeds the 14 LGA threshold.
The question then becomes simple: If an alliance must be formed, where does logic and law point us?
Beyond the Numbers: The Issue of Trust and Equity
FGYB eight years of mis-governance have shown us the cost of exclusion. The concentration of over 89% of key appointments in one zone, while the other two share 11%, is not unity. It is dominion.
A political arrangement that produced such lopsided outcomes cannot, in good conscience, ask for a renewal of trust without verifiable guarantees.
More critically, history shows that no sustainable governance structure in Kogi can be built without the buy-in of Kogi East. However, a strategic alignment between Kogi West and Kogi East can deliver victory and governance with or without Kogi Central. The reverse is not constitutionally possible.
Recently, the people of Kogi East have consistently demonstrated a readiness for fairness. They understand the agitation of Kogi West — a zone that has not produced a Governor since the creation of the state. In the spirit of equity and justice, that door remains open for partnership.
RECOMMENDATION: A PACT FOR THE FUTURE
In line with the position canvassed by Distinguished Senator Sunday Karimi during the Kabba Day celebration, let me propose:
- A Formal Alliance: An immediate, strategic alliance between Kogi West and Kogi East, sealed with a workable Memorandum of Understanding.
- The Ticket: Kogi West to present the Governorship candidate. Kogi East to present the Deputy to strengthen the alliance.
- The Covenant: Kogi West commits to a purposeful 8 years, after which power rotates to Kogi East for another 8 years. This is how we build trust and ensure continuity.
- The Agenda: A development-focused government that ends the era of transactional politics and careless looting of state resources.
We cannot mortgage our collective future for fleeting patronage. We cannot enter into an alliance of convenience that has no constitutional path to victory and no moral foundation for equity.
2027: OKUN GOVERNORSHIP IS NOT NEGOTIABLE
Not out of desperation, but out of justice, arithmetic, and the will of the people
– High Chief Monday Job Sesere hails from Kabba.
