By NAYO J. B.
The unfolding political developments in Kogi West Senatorial District, particularly the recent votes of no confidence passed on Senator Sunday Steve Karimi, the Senator representing the district, by both the APC Chairmen Forum and subsequently the APC Women Leaders Forum, deserve careful reflection beyond the immediate emotions and partisan alignments.
In a representative democracy, especially within the context of Nigeria’s party-driven political system, political legitimacy is not sustained merely by electoral victory. It is constantly reinforced through engagement with the grassroots, party structures, and the collective leadership ecosystem that produced the mandate in the first place.
The office of a senator is not an island.
Political representation at that level must remain organically connected to the party machinery from ward to local government, to state leadership, and ultimately to the broader electorate. When that connection weakens or becomes strained, the consequences often manifest in the kind of political signals we are witnessing today within the All Progressives Congress (APC) structures in Kogi State.
The back-to-back votes of no confidence coming from two strategic blocs within the party structure are not routine political gestures. They are indicators of a deeper perception gap between the representative and the party base. Whether one agrees with the method or not, such actions by grassroots party organs suggest a growing sentiment that the channels of engagement and responsiveness are no longer functioning optimally.
Politics, particularly in Nigeria, remains fundamentally structure-driven. The ward executives, local government party leadership, women and youth blocs, and other grassroots organs are not ceremonial entities; they are the living infrastructure of the party. They mobilize voters, sustain political legitimacy, and maintain the bridge between elected officials and the electorate.
For any elected official, especially one occupying a strategic legislative office such as the Senate seat for Kogi West Senatorial District, maintaining a cooperative and respectful relationship with these structures is not optional; it is politically indispensable.
The consistent rivalry and perceived disconnection between Sunday Steve Karimi and the broader Kogi State APC ecosystem, including several local government chapters, therefore raise legitimate strategic questions. Political isolation rarely strengthens leadership capital; more often, it erodes it.
More importantly, the senator’s unnecessary disconnect and rivalry with the party and its leadership in the state have inevitably weakened his capacity to effectively represent the people’s interests. Representation is not only about occupying an office; it is about leveraging the political system and institutional relationships that make development, influence, and advocacy possible.
When an elected representative becomes politically isolated from the party structure that produced the mandate, the people he represents ultimately bear the consequences. Your constituents cannot benefit optimally if you are disconnected from the political system and party framework that drives governance and resource allocation.
In this context, the growing dissatisfaction among party stakeholders becomes easier to understand. The concurrent votes of no confidence passed by party stakeholders and grassroots structures reflect a collective political statement that the existing relationship between representation and party structure has broken down.
Indeed, fighting the very system that mandates you to represent the people is both counterproductive and politically unwise.
Furthermore, several observers and political commentators have linked the prolonged rivalry between the senator and the All Progressives Congress to alleged plans of a possible defection to the opposition ahead of the forthcoming elections. While these remain allegations in the public discourse, if they eventually prove to be true, then the growing resistance within the party against Sunday Steve Karimi seeking a second term would be politically understandable and, in many respects, justifiable.
Political parties are institutions built on loyalty, structure, and shared political interests. A party cannot reasonably be expected to invest its structure, energy, and grassroots machinery in advancing the political future of someone who may be preparing to exit the same platform.
Ultimately, the current situation should serve as an opportunity for reflection on all sides. Political mandates thrive when representation, party structure, and grassroots engagement move in synergy. When that balance is disrupted, the system inevitably pushes back.
Above all, politics is never successfully run in isolation from party structures, institutional interests, and grassroots engagement. Any attempt to operate outside this ecosystem is rarely beneficial and hardly conducive to sustainable political progress.
For the sake of stability within Kogi West Senatorial District and the long-term strength of the All Progressives Congress, restoring constructive engagement between the senator and the party’s grassroots architecture may prove to be the most prudent path forward.
In politics, power ultimately flows upward from the grassroots, and it is sustained through alignment with the very system that makes representation possible.
– NAYO Jude Babatunde-Uyi
Political Observer and Communication Strategist.
nayojb2612@gmail.com
