By Danfulani Lukman Ohinoyi
To understand the value of peace in Kogi Central today, one must first remember the years when politics itself was often associated with fear. The violence surrounding the 2007 elections marked one of the region’s most difficult political chapters, with reports of loss of lives, destruction of property and deep tension. The years that followed did little to immediately change that reality.
From 2008 until Alhaji Yahaya Bello assumed office, insecurity, kidnapping, armed robbery, political thuggery and communal tensions continued to unsettle communities, particularly around Okene and other parts of Kogi Central. Electioneering was frequently a period of anxiety, with campaigns and rallies sometimes accompanied by clashes, intimidation and heightened security presence.
It was against this history that Bello’s emphasis on security assumed political significance. His administration made the protection of lives and property a major priority, working with security agencies and community structures to confront insecurity and restore public confidence.
That is why the peace question cannot be separated from the political question. When a community moves from fearing election seasons to participating in them with greater confidence, the change is not merely about security, it affects the quality of democratic life itself.
Peace allows candidates to campaign, supporters to attend rallies, citizens to vote and communities to pursue their daily lives without the same level of apprehension. In 2020, then-Senate President Ahmad Lawan publicly commended Bello’s peace and security efforts, specifically recalling the transformation around Okene.
For Kogi Central residents and Bello’s supporters, this is therefore more than a record of the past. It is the foundation of their argument about experience. They contend that someone who governed through a period of serious security and political challenges acquired lessons in managing tension, protecting communities and sustaining political stability that remain relevant beyond the Government House.
As the political conversation turns toward 2027, the issue is consequently not simply what Bello achieved as governor, but what the experience of those years can contribute to Kogi Central’s next political chapter.
The history is clear: a generation witnessed politics at its most dangerous; the Bello years are remembered by his supporters for restoring greater confidence in peace.
Peace was the foundation. Experience is the inheritance. The next chapter is now.
– Comrade Danfulani Lukman Ohinoyi writes from Okene.
