By DR. TOM OHIKERE
My Kogi people, I greet you.
I write today not as a partisan, but as a son of Kogi.
As one of the founding members of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and now a stakeholder in the African Democratic Congress, ADC, I have watched our state with both pride and pain.
The conversation on who becomes Governor of Kogi in 2027 has started early. Names are being mentioned. Calls are being made. That is democracy.
But as an elder, I have a duty to steer us away from noise and toward substance.
I HAVE HEARD THE CALLS FOR HON. JAMES ABIODUN FALEKE
Hon. Faleke is my brother. We walked the APC road together from the beginning.
His service as Executive Chairman of Ikeja and as a 4-term Rep is on record. His association with the 2015 ticket with our late leader, Prince Abubakar Audu, remains a historic memory for many Kogites, where I served as the Head of Media and Publicity.
I understand why people are calling his name. People want experience. People want federal connections. People want results.
But let us be clear: No one man is Kogi. Kogi is bigger than any personality.
I ALSO RESPECT THE MANDATE OF GOVERNOR AHMED USMAN ODODO.
Governor Ododo is also a brother and the sitting governor of the state . He deserves the right to serve and to be judged by his work.
He met a state with challenges. He is in his first term.
My advice to him and his team is simple: Listen more. Deliver more. Engage more.
The people want to see roads, hospitals, schools, water, light and jobs.
With over ₦16.45 billion FAAC to Kogi in May 2026 alone, the resources are there. What is needed now is transparency and impact.
WHAT IS REALLY DRIVING THESE CALLS?
Let us be honest with ourselves.
The calls for “another leader” are not really about Faleke vs Ododo.
They are about hunger. They are about unemployment. They are about bad roads. They are about trust.
When a citizen in Ankpa cannot get drugs at the General Hospital, he does not care about party.
When a farmer in Yagba cannot take produce to market because of bad road and insecurity, he does not care about zoning.
When a graduate in Lokoja has no job after 5 years, he does not care about 2027.
That is the real cry of Kogi people.
MY ADVICE TO APC AND TO KOGI PEOPLE
To my former party, APC:
Do internal democracy. Let the best candidate emerge. Do not impose. Do not bully. Let the people choose in a free primary.
And whoever emerges, let him come with a contract with Kogi people, not just a party manifesto.
To Kogi people:
Do not sell your vote for rice and ₦5,000.
Ask questions. Attend town halls. Demand a blueprint.
2027 must not be about my brother or my party. It must be about our children’s future.
THE ADC ALTERNATIVE FOR KOGI
I left APC because I believe Nigeria and Kogi need a new way.
In ADC, we are building that new way.
Our Kogi Covenant for 2027:
1. Kogi Works Program: Fix 500km of rural roads in 2 years to link farms to markets.
2. Kogi Health Trust: 1 fully equipped General Hospital + 5 PHCs per LGA, with drugs.
3. Kogi Youth Jobs: Agric and solid minerals processing hubs in East, Central and West.
4. Kogi Transparency Law: Publish FAAC monthly. Give full autonomy to LGAs. Jail any thief.
5. Kogi Unity Government: No East, No Central, No West. Only Kogi.
CONCLUSION: KOGI FIRST!
Leaders, and my dear people:
Whether it is Faleke, Ododo, or anyone else, let us judge by one standard: “What is your plan for Kogi?”
I remain a Kogi man first. APC founding member yesterday. ADC leader today.
But above all, I am a servant of Kogi State.
The politics of bitterness must end. The politics of performance must begin.
God bless Kogi State. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In my lifetime, Kogi and Nigeria will succeed.
– Dr. Tom Ohikere,
Founding Member, APC | Major Stakeholder, Kogi Politics|ADC Member