Smart Adeyemi’s public declaration that he lacks “the courage” to challenge Governor Ododo in 2027 and that no one from Kogi West will contest represents the most damaging act of political capitulation in recent Kogi history.
Speaking at the unveiling of security drones in Lokoja, the former Senator surrendered Kogi West’s democratic birthright without mandate, without consultation, and without shame.
The Kogi Equity Alliance rejects this capitulation entirely. Smart Adeyemi does not speak for Kogi West. He speaks only for himself—and for the fear that has silenced him.
Adeyemi’s exact words merit scrutiny: “Who will have the courage? May be, somebody from Central or East, but not from West that will ever come to say they want to challenge the second term of Governor Ododo.” This is not political analysis. This is public surrender. When a former Senator describes opposing a sitting governor as requiring “courage”—implying danger, consequences, risk—he is not making an observation. He is confessing intimidation.
What happened to Smart Adeyemi? What threat, what pressure, what inducement transformed a man who once occupied Nigeria’s Senate into someone publicly declaring he won’t “take the risk” of democratic competition? These questions demand answers because the implications extend far beyond one politician’s cowardice.
By declaring that Kogi West lacks the “courage” to contest 2027, Smart Adeyemi has attempted to surrender thirty-three years of exclusion from Kogi’s governorship, as if this injustice should continue indefinitely because challenging it requires “courage” he no longer possesses. He has attempted to surrender democratic principles that elections should be contested, not conceded before they occur. He has attempted to surrender Kogi West’s dignity by suggesting that an entire senatorial district has been so thoroughly intimidated that not a single person will challenge Okene’s monopoly.
Smart Adeyemi may have surrendered these things. Kogi West has not.
The Kogi Equity Alliance was founded precisely because politicians like Smart Adeyemi might lack courage. We anticipated that some would be intimidated, some co-opted, some silenced by whatever mechanisms the Okene political machinery employs to maintain its decade-long monopoly. But movements are not built on the courage of former Senators who now find democracy too risky. They are built on citizens who understand that thirty-three years of exclusion will become forty years, then fifty, unless someone possesses the “courage” that Adeyemi finds so remarkable.
Kogi West will contest 2027. Not because Smart Adeyemi grants permission—he has forfeited that authority through capitulation. Not because Governor Ododo allows it—democratic rights are not gifts from incumbents. But because equity, justice, and democratic principle demand it.
While Smart Adeyemi surrenders to fear, Distinguished Senator Sunday Steve Karimi demonstrates what Kogi West leadership actually looks like. Senator Karimi does not ask for “courage” to serve constituents. He deploys military troops to communities terrorized by bandits. He builds digital learning centers preparing youth for the future. He funds bursaries for 2,675 students across all three senatorial districts.
When Governor Ododo instructs party chairmen to “beg” Abdullahi Dollar for political survival, Kogi Equity Alliance publicly condemns this autocratic manipulation. When the Congress is being rigged to predetermine 2027, KEA exposes it. When Kogi West’s exclusion extends into its fourth decade, Kogi Equity Alliance demands equity—not permission, not favors, but equity.
The contrast could not be starker: Adeyemi declares he won’t “take the risk” of democratic participation. Karimi takes the risk of entering forests with soldiers to protect constituents from bandits. One fears contesting elections. The other fears nothing when constituent welfare demands action. Kogi West knows which model of leadership will secure its future.
Smart Adeyemi’s capitulation raises urgent questions. What specific intimidation has silenced a former Senator? Has he been threatened, compromised, or simply bought? Is he aware of plans to rig the Congress, manipulate delegate selection, or predetermine primary outcomes—plans so comprehensive that he considers opposition futile? If a former Senator considers democracy too risky, what message does this send to ordinary party members?
The answer is clear: it sends the message that the Kogi Equity Alliance exists to counter. That citizens must organize because politicians will capitulate. That movements matter more than individual courage because individuals can be intimidated but organized masses cannot be silenced.
Senator Adeyemi, you have made your choice. History will record that when Kogi West needed leaders with courage, you publicly declared yourself too frightened to participate in democracy. You will be remembered for surrendering while others fought. Your capitulation changes nothing. Kogi West will contest 2027 with or without you.
The Kogi Equity Alliance reaffirms these unshakable commitments: Kogi West will contest the 2027 governorship. Period. Not contingent on Smart Adeyemi’s courage. Not dependent on Governor Ododo’s permission. Leaders who lack courage will be replaced by those who possess it. Thirty-three years of exclusion ends in 2027.
Smart Adeyemi’s capitulation is his legacy. Kogi West’s determination is ours.
– Yusuf M.A. PhD.
For: Kogi Equity Alliance
