In the complex chess game of Kogi State politics, the line between strategic ambition and deliberate destabilization is often razor-thin. However, the recent political tremors rocking Kogi West Senatorial District have left stakeholders pointing fingers at a singular figure: Hon. Leke Abejide, the newly minted All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Yagba Federal Constituency.
Once viewed as a wealthy philanthropist, Abejide is increasingly being cast by political analysts and party insiders as the chief instigator of a post-primary crisis that threatens to tear the ruling party apart ahead of the upcoming general elections.
The genesis of the current rancor lies in a preemptive peace initiative spearheaded by the Executive Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo. Recognizing the volatile nature of the Kogi West Senatorial contest, Governor Ododo convened a high-stakes stakeholder meeting in Lokoja.
The objective was simple: deliver a rancor-free primary. After exhaustive deliberations, a consensus was reached. Major aspirants voluntarily stepped down, pledging their loyalty to the party and conceding the path forward to the incumbent, Senator Sunday Karimi.
“Evidences abound across print and electronic media of these aspirants declaring their withdrawals, actively choosing to boycott the primary field to preserve party cohesion.”
The primary itself proceeded as a textbook exercise in party internal democracy. Votes were cast at the ward level, collated, and officially declared in Kabba, solidifying Karimi’s mandate.
The political landscape shifted dramatically during the subsequent House of Representatives primaries. Hon. Leke Abejide, a recent high-profile defector to the APC, was cleared to contest the Yagba Federal Constituency ticket. Despite trailing clouds of suspicion and widespread allegations of gross procedural irregularities, Abejide emerged victorious.
However, instead of consolidating his victory within his constituency, Abejide allegedly turned his sights to a broader, more disruptive theater of operations. Within days of the concluded senatorial exercises, a coordinated whispering campaign emerged, alleging that the declared results of the Kogi West Senatorial primary were forged.
Reports from reliable party insiders indicate that Abejide leveraged personal leverage and proximity to Abuja’s highest power brokers—specifically the office of the Chief of Staff to the President—to implement his divisive intentions. Armed with alternative, highly disputed data, he allegedly launched a campaign of misinformation, going as far as trying to cast a cloud over the ability of Senator Jibril Echocho in Kogi East to win election.
The question dominating political circles in Lokoja is simple: What does a candidate who has already secured a House of Representatives ticket stand to gain by meddling in a senatorial contest he was never a part of?
Critics argue that the sudden escalation of the crisis the moment Abejide secured his APC ticket is not a coincidence. Rather, it reveals the highly transactional nature of his political operations. Rumors are rife within the party that Abejide’s sudden disruptive behavior is fueled by an under-the-table arrangement with external power brokers, promising him backing for the Kogi Governorship seat in 2031 in exchange for destabilizing the current state structure.
For the constituents of Yagba West, this serves as a stark wake-up call regarding the heavily publicized “empowerment schemes” and philanthropic gestures associated with Abejide. Observers are now warning that these “Greek Gifts” are designed to mask a brand of politics anchored on self-interest rather than collective Okun advancement.
As the dust settles on the exposed forgery claims, the message to the state executive is clear:
- Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo must resist the subtle pressures of high-level external lobbying aimed at subverting local party democracy.
- The administration must not allow itself to be misled by figures playing a double game between Lokoja and Abuja.
Hon. Leke Abejide’s political game may ultimately prove highly detrimental to Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo. If the governor’s aides care to tell him the harsh reality, this situation is actively damaging the governor’s popularity and rating among the majority of the Okun people. - Governor Ododo needs to read between the lines carefully; a continued association with or indulgence of Hon. Leke Abejide’s plot is an ill wind that will blow no one any good.
A relentless pursuit of an agenda built on deceit, treachery, and betrayal against the collective will of the Kogi West constituents deserves outright condemnation. For Hon. Leke Abejide, the current crisis may have yielded short-term notoriety, but it has fundamentally compromised his standing as a genuine leader of the Okun people. A word, as the old adage goes, is enough for the wise.
– Ponle Adeniyi
ponleadeniyi457@gmail.com
