At the Kogi State Power Rotation Conference in Lokoja, the President General of the Okun Development Association, Amb. (Chief) Akenson Rotimi, presented the Okun position paper titled “When Will An Okun Man/Woman Become Governor of Kogi State?”
The Kogi Equity Alliance commends the position paper and stands with the demand it advances.
The paper is anchored on the political history of Kogi State. Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, Kogi East has produced governors for a combined 17 years through Abubakar Audu, Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada, while Kogi Central has occupied the governorship since 2016 through Yahaya Bello and the incumbent, Usman Ododo. Kogi West, meanwhile, has not produced a democratically elected governor since the creation of the state.
Kogi State itself was created on 27 August 1991 from parts of the former Kwara and Benue States. The official history of the state describes its creation as a reunion of communities that had previously shared a common history and as an opportunity for socio economic development.
Against that background, the ODA position paper argues that the continued absence of Kogi West from the governorship raises a fundamental question about equity, inclusion and the distribution of political power among the three senatorial districts.
The paper also points to infrastructure concerns in parts of Okunland, including roads linking Kabba, Egbe, Isanlu, Ayetoro Gbedde and Mopa Muro, while highlighting the area’s human capital, industrial activities and mineral resources.
These are issues that deserve serious public discussion, particularly as the debate over power rotation has increasingly become part of Kogi’s political conversation ahead of the next governorship election. Other groups have also publicly called for the governorship to move to Kogi West, describing the demand in terms of equity and political inclusion.
The ODA’s intervention therefore adds another significant voice to an already growing conversation about how political power should be distributed among Kogi East, Kogi Central and Kogi West.
The Kogi Equity Alliance believes the next stage should be a clear and transparent resolution from the organisers of the conference.
We call on the organisers to publish the conference communiqué and make clear whether the deliberations support zoning the 2027 governorship to Kogi West.
We also call on political parties, particularly the APC in Kogi State, to publicly state their positions on the principle of power rotation and the demand being advanced by stakeholders from Kogi West.
The question before Kogi stakeholders is no longer whether the issue exists. It is how the state will address the competing arguments for equity, political inclusion, democratic competition and the freedom of citizens to choose their leaders.
The ODA ended its position paper with a clear message: “The time for Okun is now.”
The Kogi Equity Alliance adds its own position: the time for Kogi West is 2027.
– Dr. Yusuf, M.A.
Convener, Kogi Equity Alliance (KEA)
