No Political Ambition Is Worth the Blood of a Single Nigerian, a Message to Kogi Politicians, Candidates, Supporters and Youths
As political campaigns officially commence on 19 August 2026, I wish to make a solemn and patriotic appeal to political leaders, aspirants, candidates, party stakeholders, supporters and, most importantly, the teeming youths of Kogi State to approach the forthcoming 2027 General Elections with maturity, civility, responsibility and an steady commitment to democratic values.
Elections are fundamentally about ideas, policies, leadership, accountability, development and the constitutional right of citizens to freely determine who governs them. They must never be transformed into theatres of violence where human lives are recklessly expended on the altar of political ambition.
The disturbing events surrounding the recently concluded Osun State Governorship Election should provide a sobering lesson for every political actor across Nigeria. Reports of lives lost in the course of political activities and election-related confrontations should not be treated as mere statistics or fleeting headlines.
What is even more troubling is how quickly the political establishment moves on after such tragedies.
The campaigns continue. The politicians regroup. Winners celebrate. Losers strategise for the next contest. Political calculations resume.
But for the families of those who lost their lives, there is no political comeback, no next election and no second chance.
A young man or woman who leaves home in the morning and never returns does not merely represent a casualty of political violence. That person is someone’s child, sibling, spouse, parent, breadwinner, friend and future.
Behind every life lost is a family condemned to live with an irreversible absence.
This is one of the most painful contradictions of our political culture: people sacrifice their lives for political causes, while the politicians for whom they fought often continue their own lives and political careers.
No political office is worth the life of a Nigerian.
No politician is worth dying for.
No political party should demand human blood as the price of loyalty.
And no candidate should ever be elevated to a status where a young person believes that sacrificing his life, liberty or future is necessary to prove political allegiance.
My most earnest appeal is directed to the young people of our dear state.
Do not permit desperate political actors to weaponise your youth, energy, frustration and aspirations for purposes that ultimately serve only their personal ambitions.
Do not allow anyone to indoctrinate you into believing that political thuggery is a pathway to relevance, wealth or greatness.
It is not.
The politician who sends you to confront an opponent may have security personnel protecting him.
The politician who gives you money to create chaos may have the financial capacity to leave town when trouble begins.
The politician who encourages you to attack, intimidate or threaten an opponent may have lawyers available when the consequences arrive.
But who will stand with you when the police arrest you?
Who will restore your health if you are permanently injured?
Who will bring you back to life if you are killed?
And who will take responsibility for the pain your family will endure?
You could lose your life. You could sustain permanent injuries. You could be arrested and prosecuted. You could lose your education, employment, business opportunities and ultimately, the future you have spent years trying to build.
Meanwhile, after the election, those who encouraged you to fight may return to their families, businesses and political careers.
Therefore, before you accept any instruction to engage in violence, ask yourself one fundamental question:
Is this politician’s ambition worth my life?
The answer must always be NO.
Your life is more valuable than any political office.
Your future is more important than any political disagreement.
Your family needs you alive.
And Kogi State needs its young people alive, educated, productive, innovative and prepared to assume responsible leadership.
As political candidates and supporters, we have a collective responsibility to determine the character of the campaign season ahead.
Let us campaign vigorously, but peacefully.
Let us defend our political parties and candidates with facts, evidence, policy alternatives and compelling arguments not with fists, weapons, intimidation or violence.
Let us disagree without becoming enemies.
Let us criticise policies without destroying the dignity of those who hold opposing views.
Let us challenge political opponents without dehumanising them.
Let us remember that democracy thrives on diversity of opinion, legitimate competition and peaceful coexistence.
Two citizens can support different candidates, disagree passionately over political issues and still remain brothers, sisters, neighbours and fellow citizens.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with political competition. Indeed, competition is indispensable to a healthy democracy.
What is dangerous is when political competition degenerates into hatred, intimidation and violence, destroying the very citizens whose votes politicians seek.
As campaigns commence, I urge every candidate, party leader and political organiser to communicate unequivocally to their supporters that violence is neither a campaign strategy nor an acceptable instrument of political mobilisation.
A political victory achieved through bloodshed is, in reality, a defeat for the entire society.
Kogi State has witnessed its share of political tensions, divisions and unhealthy rivalries. The 2027 elections must not become another avenue through which young people are recruited into destructive political confrontations that ultimately benefit only a tiny circle of political actors.
We must deliberately cultivate a political culture in which candidates compete on the basis of track records, manifestos, competence, character, capacity, credibility and vision.
Let us tell the people what we intend to do.
Let us articulate practical solutions to the challenges confronting our communities.
Let us explain how we intend to improve education, healthcare, roads, agriculture, employment, security, youth development and economic opportunities.
Let us travel across our communities to persuade voters with ideas rather than intimidate them with force.
Let us seek victory through the confidence of the electorate, not through fear.
Let us recognise that the true strength of a candidate is not measured by the number of thugs surrounding him, but by the number of citizens who genuinely believe in his vision.
And when the votes are counted, let the victor celebrate with humility and respect for the opposition. Where the election is credible, let the loser accept the outcome with dignity; where legitimate grievances exist, let them be pursued through the appropriate constitutional and legal channels.
Politics Will End, But Life Must Continue
Every campaign will eventually come to an end.
The posters will disappear from our streets.
The rallies will stop.
The campaign vehicles will return to their normal routines.
The political slogans will gradually fade.
The politicians will move on to new calculations and future contests.
But a life lost during a political confrontation cannot be restored.
A family that loses a breadwinner cannot simply replace him because the election is over.
A mother cannot replace her son.
A child cannot replace a father.
A wife cannot replace her husband.
And a community cannot recover a promising young person whose life was prematurely extinguished by political violence.
We must therefore reject the dangerous mentality that treats human beings as expendable political materials.
To the youths of Kogi State: Do not allow anyone to turn you into a weapon against your fellow citizens.
Use your voice.
Use your intellect.
Use social media responsibly.
Attend political rallies peacefully.
Campaign for your preferred candidate.
Persuade your friends, families and communities.
Participate actively in the democratic process.
Vote according to your conscience.
Protect your Permanent Voter’s Card.
And above all, protect your life.
As a political candidate, I understand the passion, competition, sacrifices and political pressures that accompany the pursuit of public office. But I also understand that no political ambition, mine or anyone else’s is greater than the life of a fellow citizen.
The office we seek exists because of the people. Therefore, the people must never become the casualties of our quest to serve them.
As we commence the 2027 campaign season, let us choose a different path.
Let Kogi politics be defined by ideas, issues, development, accountability and peaceful democratic competition not bloodshed and political thuggery.
Let us campaign hard but campaign with maturity.
Let us compete fiercely but compete peacefully.
Let us disagree politically but remain brothers and sisters.
Let us remember that today’s political opponent may become tomorrow’s ally, colleague or even partner in building our communities.
And when the elections are finally over, let us still have a peaceful state, healthy communities and a generation of young people alive and ready to build the Kogi we all desire.
No politician is worth dying for.
No political party is worth losing your life for.
No election is worth your future.
Let us choose ideas over violence. Let us choose life over political thuggery. Let us choose a better Kogi.
– Michael Samuel Idoko
PDP Candidate for Ogugu Constituency
2027 Kogi State Assembly Election
