A civil society organization, Kogi Equity Alliance (KEA), has issued a strongly-worded demand for accountability over the failed electrification of Kogi East, questioning both current Governor Usman Ododo and his predecessor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, about the fate of over N2 billion allegedly spent on the project.
The Kogi Equity Alliance, in a statement released on Monday, highlighted glaring contradictions between official pronouncements made seven years apart regarding the “Operation Light Up Kogi East” initiative.
The Contradiction That Sparked Outrage
The controversy began when Governor Ododo recently told residents that billions meant for their electrification had been given to a contractor from the region who failed to deliver, leaving communities like Omala, Olamaboro, and parts of Ankpa without power for over 13 years.
However, the Alliance unearthed a 2019 social media post by then-Governor Yahaya Bello claiming: “The over N2 billion Operation Light Up Kogi East Project is 80 percent completed. Contractors paid, and necessary equipment procured such as cables, transformers, transmitters.”
“These statements cannot both be true,” the group stated. “The discrepancy demands immediate clarification.”
The Auditor General Question
What makes the situation particularly sensitive is Governor Ododo’s previous role as Auditor General for Local Government from 2016 to 2023, precisely the period when the project was supposedly executed and paid for.
The Alliance argues that this creates an uncomfortable accountability dilemma. As Auditor General, Ododo’s statutory responsibilities included auditing government expenditures, verifying project deliverables, detecting irregularities, and reporting suspected fraud.
“The current narrative presents only three possibilities,” the statement read. “He audited this multi-billion naira project and approved fraudulent payments, or he failed to audit it despite its scale, or he discovered fraud and remained silent for years. None of these scenarios supports his current position as accuser without simultaneously raising questions about his own institutional responsibility.”
Seven Critical Questions for Governor Ododo
The Alliance posed pointed questions about both phases of Ododo’s service:
From his time as Auditor General: Did he audit the electrification expenditures? Did he verify contractor delivery before approving payments? If he discovered fraud, when did he report it to anti-corruption agencies?
As current Governor: Who exactly is the contractor? When did he discover the alleged diversion? Has he formally reported this to the EFCC or ICPC? And crucially, why did he remain silent for years, only raising the issue now through “viral video commentary rather than through proper legal and administrative channels”?
The group noted that as chief executive with full access to government records, the contractor’s identity should be “a matter of public record, not speculation.”
Yahaya Bello Faces His Own Reckoning
Former Governor Bello also faces uncomfortable questions. If his 2019 claim of 80 percent completion was accurate, where is the procured equipment today? Who selected the contractor and through what process? Which officials authorized fund releases, and what verification was conducted?
Most pointedly: “If billions of naira were misappropriated during your tenure as alleged by your successor, why has no individual been arrested, investigated, or prosecuted in connection with this matter?”
The 14-Day Ultimatum
The Kogi Equity Alliance has given the state government two weeks to provide comprehensive documentation including the contractor’s identity, original contract documents, procurement records, complete payment history, and all relevant audit reports from Ododo’s tenure as Auditor General.
The group also demands an independent engineering assessment of current infrastructure, confirmation of whether reports have been filed with federal anti-corruption agencies, and a detailed plan for actually completing the electrification with realistic timelines and verified budgets.
Beyond Regional Politics
The Alliance emphasized that this transcends ethnic or regional grievances. “The people of Kogi East have not been betrayed by ethnic kinship,” the statement declared. “They have been failed by governance institutions that permitted billions to vanish while those with statutory oversight responsibility face no consequences.”
The case, they argue, represents systemic governance failures affecting all Kogi citizens: infrastructure projects announced without verification, multi-billion naira expenditures escaping audit scrutiny, years passing between alleged fraud and response, and persistent opacity in procurement.
A Test of Institutional Accountability
Dr. Yusuf M.A., the Alliance’s convener, framed the issue as a fundamental test of governmental transparency. “Governor Ododo asks what happened to the Kogi East electrification project. We ask what he did about it during his tenure as the state’s chief financial auditor.”
The statement concluded with a clear challenge: “The people of Kogi East deserve not merely electricity, but truth. They deserve not simply promises, but verifiable performances. They deserve no explanations crafted for viral moments, but evidence that can withstand institutional scrutiny.”
Copies of the statement have been forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, Kogi State House of Assembly, National Assembly, and the Nigerian Guild of Editors.
As of publication, neither Governor Ododo’s office nor former Governor Bello had responded to requests for comment.
The 14-day deadline expires on February 3, 2026.
