Power will not return to Kogi East because of history. It will return only if it is taken back with clear intention. As 2027 approaches, the region stands at a decisive moment. The old belief that influence will rotate back by entitlement has failed. Politics does not remember who once ruled. It responds to who is prepared to act.
The most urgent task is to break the hold of entrenched political networks that continue to shape outcomes from the shadows. The structure built during the years of Yahaya Bello did not end with his tenure. It remains active through loyal actors, quiet alliances, and control of political pathways. If Kogi East does not reduce this influence, it will keep negotiating from a weakened position. No region regains strength while another power center defines its choices.
In Igala land, elders say a man who allows another to guard his yam barn should not complain when hunger visits his household. Kogi East has, for too long, allowed external hands to watch over its political future. The result is visible. Decisions that should rise from the soil of the people are shaped elsewhere. Influence has been outsourced, and relevance has declined.
The deeper problem is internal. Division has done what opposition could not do alone. Leaders have pursued parallel interests, weakening collective bargaining power. Unity has been spoken of but not practiced. Without a shared direction, even the strongest voices cancel each other out. Politics favors those who move as one, not those who move in fragments.
Reclaiming ground requires discipline and structure. It demands independent organization, strong grassroots networks, and a clear agreement on priorities. It also requires hard choices about alliances. Short term comfort must give way to long term strategy. A region that depends on borrowed strength cannot control its future.
The path forward is simple, but not easy. Kogi East must choose to act with clarity and unity. It must rebuild its political muscle with patience and resolve. Power is not restored by memory. It is restored by effort. And if the region understands this in time, it can move from the margins back to the center of its own story.
– Inah Boniface Ocholi writes from Ayah – Igalamela/Odolu LGA, Kogi state.
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