By Jayeoba David
I welcome the renewed conversation about the possibility of an Okun person becoming Governor of Kogi State in 2027. Quite frankly, this is a conversation we should all be having. The question of fairness, inclusion and political rotation has been with us for a long time, and there is nothing wrong with Okun people demanding their turn.
But while I welcome the conversation, I cannot pretend that I am comfortable with the messenger or the manner in which this particular conversation is being presented.
When Dino Melaye talks about an Okun governor today, I believe he should first look back at the political history that brought us to where we are.
Does Dino really think Okun people have forgotten 2015?
Have we forgotten the role he and others played in the political events that eventually produced Yahaya Bello, when an Okun man, Audu Faleke, was at the centre of the political equation?
Have we forgotten the things that were said and the political choices that were made?
And have we forgotten the mockery that followed when it was said during the inauguration that the people voted for Audu Faleke but God voted for Yahaya Bello?
Have we also forgotten the famous statement that “the elephant we kill is enough to share”?
These things happened. They are part of our political history. We cannot simply erase them because the same political actors have now discovered the importance of the Okun agenda.
Boda, you cannot eat your cake and have it.
Politics is about consequences. The decisions we make today can determine where we find ourselves tomorrow.
If we had genuinely approached the politics of Kogi differently after 2015, perhaps we would not be sitting here today discussing how to start another struggle for what should have been a logical political progression.
We should not be talking about the Okun governorship today merely as people begging for an opportunity to participate. After years of political engagement, we should have been building towards occupying the Government House.
But unfortunately, some of our own political battles contributed to where we are today.
The “me or nobody” mentality did us no good.
The hatred and political hostility directed at fellow Okun people did not help us.
Instead of building a united political front, we spent too much time fighting ourselves. Instead of building bridges, we burnt them. Instead of expanding our political family, we narrowed it.
And now we find ourselves strategising for power instead of being in power.
That is the painful part.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT DINO MELAYE
Let me be clear: the Okun governorship is not Dino Melaye’s personal project. It belongs to the people. It belongs to our fathers and mothers who have waited for political inclusion. It belongs to our young people who want to see an Okun man or woman occupy the highest political office in Kogi State.
So, I have no problem with Dino supporting an Okun governor. My problem is the hypocrisy of pretending that history does not matter. If we are serious about this project, we must be honest with ourselves. We cannot build tomorrow with the politics that destroyed yesterday.
We need to ask the difficult questions.
Where are the alliances?
Who are we talking to?
What relationship are we building with the Ebira?
What relationship are we building with the Igala?
What are we doing with other political interests across Kogi State?
What is our relationship with the Federal Government?
Who is sitting down with the relevant political stakeholders and negotiating the future of Kogi?
Where is the political mathematics that will actually deliver victory?
These are the conversations I want to hear. Not just rallies. Not just declarations. Not just social-media battles. Not just another political jamboree.
OKUN GOVERNOR IS POSSIBLE — CAPITAL YES!
For the avoidance of doubt, an Okun governor is possible. Capital YES!
I believe it. Many Okun people believe it. But believing that something is possible is different from knowing how to make it happen. And this is where I disagree with the approach currently being promoted. The Okun project will not be won through noise. It will not be won through insulting everybody who does not agree with us. It will not be won by pretending that Okun alone can produce a governor without the support and cooperation of other parts of Kogi State.
The truth is simple: we need allies.
We need a serious and strategic alliance with other ethnic groups. We need to build confidence among our neighbours. We need to engage political leaders across the state. We need to work intelligently with the Federal Government. We need to bring together our traditional rulers, political leaders, professionals, young people, women and other stakeholders.
And, ultimately, we need the help of God.
That is the strategy. Not jamboree.
LET US NOT MIX SECURITY WITH GOVERNORSHIP
I also think we need to be careful about connecting the current security situation in Okunland and parts of Kogi East directly to the question of who becomes governor.
The two issues are not the same.
Our security challenges are real, and our people are genuinely worried. But the problems we are facing have more to do with the changing security environment, the delayed response to the inflow of banditry, unmanned forests and the movement of criminal elements across difficult terrains.
In Okunland, our boundary with Niger State presents a particular challenge.
But we also have to be honest about the uncomfortable part of the story.
There are concerns about internal collaborators, illegal mining and the desperate search for quick money.
These are security issues that require serious intelligence, better coordination among security agencies, community vigilance and a faster response from government.
Let us not turn the suffering of our people into another political campaign slogan.
People want to sleep peacefully.
Farmers want to go to their farms.
Businesses want to operate.
Parents want their children to move freely.
That should be the priority.
WE MUST LEARN FROM 2015
I do not believe we should spend all our time fighting over the past. But we must learn from it. 2015 should teach us that political decisions have consequences. It should teach us that internal division can cost an entire people political opportunities. It should teach us that personal ambition must sometimes give way to collective interest. And it should teach us that politics is not about who shouts the loudest; it is about who can build the strongest coalition.
If Dino Melaye genuinely wants an Okun governor, then I challenge him—not with hatred, but with the seriousness this project deserves:
Build the bridges.
Build the alliances.
Build the trust.
Build the numbers.
Go beyond Okun.
Talk to everybody.
Bring people together.
Work with the Federal Government.
Work with political stakeholders.
And stop treating every disagreement as an act of betrayal.
Because the Okun governorship is bigger than Dino Melaye.
It is bigger than Jayeoba David.
It is bigger than any political party.
It is about the future of our people.
We have spent enough time fighting to be heard.
The next stage is to organise ourselves well enough to be taken seriously.
Okun must stop merely strategising for power and start strategising intelligently to take power.
The opportunity is there. The numbers are there. The capacity is there. The ambition is there. And with the right strategy, an Okun governor is not a dream—it is a political possibility.
Capital YES.
But it will take more than jamboree. It will take maturity. It will take sacrifice. It will take strategic alliances. It will take unity. It will take political wisdom. And, above all, it will take the help of God.
– Jayeoba David
Public Affairs Commentator
