In the high-stakes arena of Kogi State politics, one reality has remained constant over the past decade, the enduring influence of Yahaya Bello. Love him or loathe him, dismiss him or debate him, the political equation in Kogi still carries what many now call “the Bello Factor.”
Twice, in 2019 and again in 2023, All Progressives Congress retained control of the state. In a politically diverse and historically competitive environment like Kogi, such continuity is neither accidental nor automatic. It speaks to structure, coordination, and a machinery built beyond seasonal politics.
Bello’s political strategy was never limited to rhetoric. His administration invested heavily in grassroots networks, ward leaders, youth mobilizers, women coordinators, and local stakeholders who became the backbone of APC’s electoral staying power. While critics focused on controversy, his camp focused on consolidation.
The 2019 electoral victory in Kogi State reaffirmed his personal mandate. The 2023 cycle, however, was more politically symbolic, it demonstrated that the structure he built could outlive his tenure. In Nigerian politics, where incumbency often defines strength, sustaining influence after office is a different kind of power.
One of Bello’s most defining political trademarks was generational shift. He consistently projected youth inclusion not just as policy language but as political identity. Commissioners, advisers, and appointees under his watch reflected a younger demographic rarely seen at that scale in state governance.
To supporters, this repositioned Kogi’s political narrative. To opponents, it reshaped the battlefield by energizing first-time voters and politically active young stakeholders. Either way, it changed the conversation.
Kogi’s complex ethnic and senatorial balancing has historically determined political stability. Bello’s administration pushed infrastructural projects across the three senatorial districts, roads, security architecture, and institutional development, reinforcing the perception of statewide reach rather than sectional loyalty.
In practical political terms, development projects often translate into loyalty blocs. That formula helped sustain APC’s dominance even amid opposition offensives.
Today, outside office, Bello remains politically consequential. His alliances, grassroots loyalists, and strategic networks continue to influence calculations within and outside the APC. Opposition figures still strategize around his presence. Allies still consult his political direction.
Politics is not about universal applause; it is about relevance, structure, and measurable outcomes. On those metrics, Bello’s imprint on Kogi’s political landscape is difficult to erase.
As the chessboard of Kogi politics evolves, one truth persists: whether as rallying point, rival, or reference, Yahaya Bello remains a central figure in the state’s power equation.
Ignore him and you misread Kogi.
– Danfulani Lukman Ohinoyi writes from Okene.
