- Says Tinubu’s Second Term Top Priority
Senator Sunday Karimi, who represents Kogi West in the National Assembly, concluded a month-long series of constituency town halls on Monday with a final stop in Lokoja, where he presented his legislative scorecard and rallied support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general election.
The Lokoja event, held at the 3,000-capacity Kay-Galaxy Event Centre before an overflow crowd, was the third and final leg of a tour covering all three federal constituencies in Kogi West — Kabba/Bunu/Ijumu, Lokoja/Koton-Karfe, and Yagba. Earlier sessions took place in Isanlu and Kabba on August 2 and August 13, respectively. Organizers, drawn from senior APC figures in the senatorial district, said the tour was designed to showcase Karimi’s record, strengthen party unity, and build momentum behind President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Infrastructure and Water Projects
Karimi told constituents that his office had delivered 22 solar-powered motorized boreholes across communities in the constituency. Citing the capital’s persistent water shortages, he announced plans to sink five industrial boreholes within a one-month timeline, funded through a federal agency’s corporate social responsibility program.
On power supply, the senator said he had provided transformers in several areas — including Sarki Noma, Mount Patti, and Obajana — while rehabilitating existing units at Offege-Baptist in Lokoja and two locations in Koton-Karfe. He also cited solar streetlight installations in both towns.
Education Initiatives
In education, Karimi pointed to a ₦1.2 billion renovation of Government Science Secondary School in Koton-Karfe. He also highlighted a bursary program run through the Sunday Steve Karimi Education Foundation in partnership with the Tinubu Support Group, which he said has self-funded awards to more than 650 students across the two local government areas over its first two years.
According to figures he shared, 150 students from Lokoja received ₦100,000 bursaries in 2024, rising to 200 in 2025; in Kogi LGA, 120 students were awarded in 2024 and 160 in 2025. Karimi also announced that applications were now open for a third round of a ₦300 million bursary program for Kogi State students in tertiary institutions statewide, spanning all three senatorial districts.
Healthcare
The senator said he had facilitated construction of a cottage hospital in Edu-Kakanda, Lokoja Local Government Area, which is now complete. He pledged to equip the facility and hand it over for public use before the end of the year.
Political Messaging
Karimi used the gathering to press for continued party unity and voter turnout for APC candidates in 2027, placing particular emphasis on Tinubu’s re-election. He credited the administration with increased federal allocations to states and local governments, telling the crowd that under Tinubu, monthly disbursements to Kogi’s local governments have averaged roughly ₦500 million each — a figure he said had allowed previously struggling states to resume paying salaries.
Local APC leaders echoed the message. Hon. Sulaiman Baba-Ali, who chaired the opening remarks, presented Karimi as the party’s sole recognized candidate for the Kogi West senatorial seat and urged constituents to back the ticket “from top to bottom.” Other officials who addressed the crowd, including Hon. Idrees Aliyu Maikudi and Hon. Suleiman Babadoko, praised Karimi’s record; Babadoko went further, calling him the best-performing senator in Kogi West’s history.
The crowd responded with a chant closely associated with Tinubu’s political base, capping what organizers described as one of the most heavily attended political gatherings in Kogi State since campaigning began for the 2027 elections.
