The renewed agitation by some Mopamuro-based activists over an alleged 1999 rotation agreement for the House of Representatives seat in Yagba Federal Constituency has again brought to the fore a long-settled political issue that, by all standards, no longer holds binding force across parties.
Available records show that the rotation arrangement often cited by agitators was not a collective decision of all Yagba elders or leaders. Rather, it was an internal understanding reached by some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders in 1999 to rotate the House of Representatives ticket among Mopamuro, Yagba East and Yagba West local government areas. Other political parties at the time — the APP (later ANPP) and the AD (later ACN) — were not parties to the agreement. Parties such as the APC and ADC were not even in existence then.
The fundamental question, therefore, is how political parties that were not part of that PDP-only arrangement can be bound by it decades later.
Historically, Mopamuro Local Government first benefitted from the PDP arrangement in 1999, when Hon. Sola Ojo served as the constituency’s representative from 1999 to 2003. The seat then moved to Yagba East, with Hon. T.J. Faniyi representing the constituency between 2003 and 2007. Yagba West took its turn from 2007 to 2011 through Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro.
However, the rotation arrangement effectively collapsed in 2011 when the PDP granted its ticket again to Hon. Aro for a second term, instead of allowing the position to rotate back to Mopamuro, where it began in 1999. That decision marked a clear departure from the so-called agreement.
Subsequently, Hon. Sunday Karimi of Yagba West won the seat in 2011 on the platform of the ACN and later secured re-election in 2015 under the PDP, serving until 2019. This resulted in Yagba West holding the seat for three consecutive terms. Notably, during this period, there was no widespread agitation that it was “Mopamuro’s turn.”
In 2019, Hon. Leke Abejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), from Yagba East, assumed office and is currently serving his second term. It is only now, midway into his tenure, that renewed calls have emerged insisting that the seat must rotate to Mopamuro in 2027, with some proponents invoking the defunct PDP arrangement while downplaying ongoing representation and performance.
While some argue that Mopamuro has had only one term since 1999 compared to multiple terms by Yagba East and Yagba West, it is also on record that Mopamuro has actively contested elections since 2003. In addition, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has, on two occasions, entrusted its ticket to Mopamuro candidates, underscoring that the political space has remained open and competitive.
Many notable stakeholders across Yagba land now maintain that competence, performance and capacity to deliver democratic dividends should take precedence over an obsolete party-based agreement that was truncated by the PDP itself.
Rather than attempting to impose a defunct arrangement on all political actors, agitators are advised to channel their demands to the PDP, where the rotation idea originated, if they believe fairness, equity and internal party balance require such an approach. More importantly, they are encouraged to openly canvass support for their preferred candidates instead of seeking to undermine a sitting representative through recycled political arguments.
Hon. Leke Abejide’s stewardship, supporters argue, has been marked by tangible interventions across Yagba Federal Constituency. Recent initiatives include the approved disbursement of ₦10 million to each of the autonomous communities in Yagba land — amounting to ₦71 million — alongside significant investment in security infrastructure to strengthen the local “Lions Squad” and enhance community safety.
These efforts, combined with his legislative visibility at the national level, are cited by his supporters as reasons many constituents are inclined to return him to office in 2027, by God’s grace.
Ultimately, the House of Representatives contest in Yagba Federal Constituency remains open to all qualified aspirants from the three local governments. The 1999 PDP rotation arrangement, long abandoned by its originators, cannot override democratic choice or performance-based leadership.
As politics evolves, Yagba people, like other Nigerians, retain the sovereign right to decide who best represents their interests — not by outdated agreements, but by competence, service delivery and vision for development.
– Oluwaseyi Giwa, FCPA
Makutu, Isanlu, Kogi State
