Prominent Kogi East political figure, Dr Mahmoud Bala Alfa, has said the Igala people lost their influence at Nigeria’s political decision making table because their forefathers were too “nice”, “calm” and “humble”, urging the people to adopt a more strategic approach to politics ahead of the 2027 elections.
Alfa made the remarks while speaking on the Kogi based WhotNow Podcast on Saturday, where he argued that political participation should be driven by the need to secure resources, influence and development for the people.
According to him, politics is ultimately about resource control and resource sharing, making it imperative for the Igala people to be present in the rooms and at the tables where critical political decisions are taken.
“We lost our seat at the table because our parents were very nice people. They were calm. They were very humble, which is good. But in the process of being kind and being meek, we lost the seat at the table,” he said.
Alfa said Kogi East must stop adopting a permanent opposition mentality, arguing that political engagement should include strategic participation and support for administrations when such engagement could advance the interests of the people.
He said the people should be willing to support governments and political structures while making their expectations known, so that they could subsequently demand the fulfilment of commitments made to them.
“We have to be seen to participate. We have to also be seen to participate to support. So, when the time comes, we can now go cap in hand and say, look, we have supported. This is why we supported. These are the pledges you made to us. Now we are here to collect it,” Alfa said.
The comments come as Kogi East, which comprises nine local government areas and is predominantly populated by the Igala people, prepares for the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections. The district is currently represented in the Senate by Senator Jibrin Isah of the All Progressives Congress.
Alfa, who said he had previously sought to represent Kogi East in the National Assembly, also disclosed that his decision to participate in the political contest was driven by a desire to ensure that the district had a stronger voice at the national level.
He, however, acknowledged the contributions of Senator Jibrin Isah, whom he described as an “uncle”, while also expressing confidence in the capacity of Dr Joseph Ameh Erico to perform if elected.
Erico emerged as the APC candidate for the Kogi East senatorial election after winning the party’s primary in May 2026 with 73,717 votes. He defeated incumbent Senator Jibrin Isah and former Kogi governorship candidate Murtala Yakubu Ajaka in the contest.
Alfa said although his participation had helped change the conversation around the Kogi East Senate race, his failure to secure the ticket should not become a source of division, insisting that politics must accommodate family discussions and collective decisions.
“My voice was heard. The conversations around the Senate in Kogi State today has changed because of my single participation,” he said, adding that the outcome of a primary election should be respected.
He subsequently declared his support for Tinubu and Ododo ahead of the 2027 political cycle, describing the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as his immediate priority.
“It’s a no-brainer. It’s Tinubu-Ododo 2027. That’s just the only thing in our burner right now, and that’s the only focus,” Alfa said.
His position comes amid growing mobilisation by APC stakeholders in Kogi East for Tinubu and Ododo. The district’s APC leadership has been campaigning for support for Tinubu in the January 2027 presidential election and for Ododo’s second term in the November 2027 off-cycle Kogi governorship election.
Kogi is excluded from the regular governorship poll because it is one of the states with an off-cycle governorship election.
Alfa also defended Tinubu’s economic policies, arguing that the administration’s reforms should be judged over time rather than solely by their immediate effects.
He acknowledged the hardship caused by rising food prices and other economic pressures but maintained that Nigeria needed to lay the foundation for a more productive and stable economy.
“I understand that there’s hunger in the land. But the only way to stop that hunger is to ensure that we are more productive,” he said.
The Kogi political figure also praised Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo’s administration, claiming that the state was among the leading states aligning with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
He cited infrastructure development, including the ongoing construction of the Confluence International Airport, while arguing that Kogi could not execute every desired project simultaneously because of limited resources.
Alfa further called for an end to what he described as divisive politics within Kogi East, urging political actors to return to the grassroots, engage their communities and prepare for the long term.
He said the decisions made during the 2027 election cycle would have consequences beyond the immediate contest, stressing that political participation should be viewed as a strategy for shaping the future of the Igala people.
“Our participation in 2027 will determine what happens in 2031,” he said.
