Political appointees from Lokoja Local Government Area have resolved to deliver overwhelming votes for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo, and all All Progressives Congress, APC, candidates in the 2027 general elections.
The resolution was reached on Wednesday at a strategic meeting convened by the Kogi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Engr. Yahaya MD Farouk.
The gathering brought together Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Directors-General, as well as Chairmen and Members of Boards and Commissions from Lokoja LGA.
Addressing the meeting, Engr. Farouk emphasized the need for party unity and cohesion ahead of 2027. He noted that since the APC’s landslide victory in Lokoja during the 2023 elections and the conclusion of post-election litigations, the major challenge within the LGA has been managing internal dynamics, not external opposition.
He disclosed that most opposition party members in Lokoja have since defected to the APC, a development he said positions the party for an even more decisive win in 2027.
“We won Lokoja in 2023 when we were not appointees. The opportunity to serve is a privilege, and the reward for that privilege must be more votes for the APC,” the Commissioner said.
He called on aggrieved members to embrace forgiveness and work together, urging appointees to reach out to their constituencies in ways that will translate into tangible support for the party.
The Commissioner set an ambitious target for the LGA: to double the votes recorded by the APC in 2023 and to lead in voter turnout during the upcoming local government elections. He said this would make Governor Ododo’s re-election bid a seamless win.
“We want Lokoja LGA to lead in the conduct of the LG elections, deliver President Tinubu and all APC candidates, and make the governorship election for Gov. Ododo a seamless win,” he stated. “The challenge for us in the APC is how to double the votes. Our strategy must improve on what we used in 2023.”
Engr. Farouk also appealed to members to contribute toward party funding and mobilization, and announced that meetings of Lokoja appointees would now be held regularly until after the January 2027 elections. He described Lokoja as “a no-go area for any opposition political party.”
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Kogi State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, KOSOPADEC, Hon. Suleiman Ndalaye Abdullahi, said the appointment of Lokoja indigenes by Governor Ododo imposes a responsibility to work in unity.
“We are appointees because Gov. Ododo is Governor. Lokoja is fortunate because of its diversity. We must see that as an advantage and our strength,” he said. “If we work in unity, winning Lokoja will be seamless. We must begin to preach the many reasons why the APC should win for Tinubu and Ododo with a landslide.”
Other speakers, including Alhaji Attai Bozy, Bala Justice, Hajia Fatima Allahdey, and Abdulazeez Otaru, pledged to mobilize their bases for the APC’s victory in both the local government and 2027 general elections.
The meeting also featured an interactive session where members discussed challenges and proposed strategies for an overwhelming APC victory.
A key highlight of the meeting was the inauguration of a five-member strategy and funding committee chaired by Hon. Amami Galadima, Member, Governing Council, College of Education, Ankpa. The committee is tasked with developing workable mobilization strategies and modalities for funding the party’s campaign in Lokoja LGA.
Dignitaries at the meeting included Hon. Abdulrahman Dangana, Speaker of the 4th Assembly, Hon. Shiru Lawal, Hon. Kassim Isiyaku, and other top APC stakeholders and appointees of Governor Ododo from Lokoja.
The appointees concluded that with improved strategy, unity, and grassroots engagement, Lokoja LGA will deliver the highest votes for the APC in Kogi State in 2027
