For years, Kogi Central has yearned for the level of federal presence and intervention our people truly deserve.
Development in any democracy is driven by access, access to power, access to decision-makers, and access to the table where national priorities are negotiated and approved. Unfortunately, we have placed ourselves at a disadvantage by keeping our representation at the centre of power in opposition to the ruling government.
Since our current senator went to the Senate, the story has been one of persistent confrontation rather than constructive engagement. Governance at the federal level is not activism; it is negotiation, collaboration and strategic alignment.
When a constituency’s representative is constantly at loggerheads with the leadership of the Senate and the Presidency, the greatest casualty is not the politician, it is the people back home.
Our roads, industries, employment opportunities, and especially the revival of Ajaokuta Steel require influence more than rhetoric. Influence does not come from isolation. Influence comes from relationships, trust, and cooperation with those who control the machinery of government.
It is clear that there has been a prolonged political rift between Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan and the Honourable Minister of Steel Development, Mr. Shaibu Abubakar Audu. Both leaders come from Kogi State and should naturally form a powerful alliance to push the rebirth of Ajaokuta Steel , The single most important economic asset to our district. Instead, disagreement and political hostility have created a wall where there should have been a bridge.
Because of this, Kogi Central has lost the advantage of speaking with one coordinated voice at the federal level. Ajaokuta does not need rivalry; it needs unity and shared purpose.
Rather than building cooperation that would open doors for our people, politics has too often been reduced to personal battles. While other districts negotiate benefits for their constituencies, we have been engaged in fights that generate attention but not development.
When leaders cannot sit together to harmonize their efforts, the federal government receives mixed signals, and our priorities naturally fall behind those of more coordinated regions.
Representation should never be about personal popularity; it must be about results. A senator’s strength lies in the ability to sit with Senate leadership, ministers, and the President and make demands backed by partnership and trust. Without that access, motions become speeches, speeches become social media content, and the people remain without projects.
We must accept a political reality: constituencies aligned with the ruling party often attract faster federal attention appointments, projects, empowerment programmes and industrial investments. Government naturally works more smoothly with partners it trusts politically not having a PDP senator or other opposition party.
Kogi Central cannot continue to operate from the sidelines while others negotiate their future at the centre. Our youths need jobs, our traders need economic expansion, our communities need infrastructure, and Ajaokuta needs decisive federal backing. These cannot be achieved through isolation politics.
As 2027 approaches, we must rise above emotional politics and confrontational representation. We must choose strategic representation. We must elect a senator from the ruling party, someone who can walk into the offices of decision-makers not as an adversary, but as a partner advocating firmly for his people.
Alignment is not surrender; alignment is wisdom. It positions us to make strong demands because we are inside the room, not outside the gate.
The future of Kogi Central depends on wise political choices. This time, we must place collective interest above sentiment and position ourselves where decisions are made so our people can finally receive the development, recognition and opportunities they deserve.
Kogi Central deserves representation that produces results, unity and progress.
In 2027, let us choose partnership over isolation and progress will follow.
– Toafoq Okatahi wrote from Okene.
