By Onoja Baba
Prominent Kogi East businessman and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Dr. Mubarak Musa Abuche (popularly known as Emperor), has declared that neither the party’s Kogi East senatorial candidate, Chief Joseph Ameh Erico, nor the Idah Federal Constituency House of Representatives flagbearer, Hon. Victor Omale Ojogbane, has consulted him.
He further stated that Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and former Governor Yahaya Bello have not followed through on earlier assurances of engagement after the APC primaries.
Dr. Mubarak made the remarks in a detailed interview on the WhotNow Podcast in Lokoja.
He positioned himself as a loyal APC member focused on the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu while insisting that political support at the state and constituency levels depends on proper consultation with stakeholders.
Following the APC primaries held in May Erico emerged as the APC candidate for Kogi East Senatorial District after securing a decisive victory with over 73,000 votes, defeating several aspirants, including the incumbent Senator Isah Jibrin Echocho. In Idah Federal Constituency, which comprises Idah, Ofu, Igalamela-Odolu and Ibaji local government areas, Hon. Victor Omale Ojogbane emerged as the APC flagbearer.
Mubarak stated he does not know Erico and has never been approached by him. Referring to the senatorial candidate, he said, “He has never consulted me.” Asked if he must be consulted, he responded “Am I too small?” He added that he has no candidate yet for the House of Representatives seat and does not know the person who received the ticket.
On the broader party process, he recounted approaching both former Governor Yahaya Bello and Governor Ododo about his own interest in contesting the House of Representatives seat under the APC. According to him, Bello indicated that consultations were ongoing and that he would get back to him, while Ododo repeatedly said he would call him for a meeting. “To be honest… the present governor also has been telling me they will call me, I should come and see him, but maybe out of his busy schedule, I don’t know… Never. Even after the primary was conducted.”
He emphasized that he is not angry about not receiving the ticket but stressed the importance of stakeholder engagement, “I’m a stakeholder… any candidate that did not consult me, okay, I’m not supporting you.”
Mubarak who is the chairman of the Al-Mubee Group and associated companies, described his entry into politics as an extension of his desire to serve his people more effectively through public office rather than purely private enterprise.
Ahead of the 2023 general elections, he contested the APC primary for the Idah Federal Constituency (Idah, Ofu and Ibaji areas). He maintained that he won the primary but stepped aside for the eventual candidate and sitting member, Hon. David Zacharias (Zacharias David Idris), after interventions that included appeals to family elders, including his mother, and assurances from then Governor Yahaya Bello that the time was not yet right for him. He allowed Zacharias to seek a second term.
In the 2023 Kogi governorship race, he emerged as the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidate. He later stepped down his ambition, brought his structure into the APC fold, and supported Ahmed Usman Ododo’s successful campaign. He has stated that neither Yahaya Bello nor Ododo made specific succession promises at the time; the request was simply for support for Ododo, with an assurance of general political backing in the state. Court proceedings at the time also addressed disputes over the NNPP nomination process involving other aspirants.
He has continued community support through his foundation, including distribution of foodstuffs and facilitation of hospital treatments, particularly noted around 2023. He insists he has never begged politicians for financial support for his businesses and funds his political activities independently.
Despite the lack of consultation at the state and constituency levels, Mubarak reaffirmed his commitment to the APC and specifically to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027. He described Tinubu as “the one we know now” and argued that the “devil you know is better,” noting the complexities of the presidency compared with state level experience. He expressed willingness to support any serious candidate who properly consults him, while remaining a party man at the presidential level.
“My party is APC… For the presidency and the governor of Kogi State, is what I don’t know now… I’ll throw a full support to the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. That way of course, that’s my focus.”
He rejected suggestions that supporting non APC candidates for lower offices would constitute anti party activity, citing examples of cross party endorsements in Nigerian politics and insisting that politics requires flexibility while loyalty to the party’s presidential candidate remains firm.
As the 2027 elections approach, Mubarak’s comments highlight ongoing questions of inclusiveness and stakeholder management within the APC in Kogi East. He has made clear that while his national focus is locked on Tinubu, local support will hinge on whether candidates and party leaders reach out to established figures such as himself.
