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Kogi East Senate: A Two-Horse Race —– By Ibrahim Isah

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Online and offline, discussions on the forthcoming Senatorial contest in Kogi East have revolved around two economists and former bankers both with intimidating credentials, enthralling pedigrees but varying capacities to represent their people and deliver on campaign promises.

While Dr. Victor Alewo Adoji is running on the platform of African Democratic Congress (ADC), Alhaji (Dr.) Jibrin Isah is running on the platform of the All Peoples Congress (APC).

Earlier Senatorial contests, especially the last two have happened with little or no fuse about the candidates. It was majorly about the Party platform and it the quality or capacity of the candidate. Clearly, the allure form party supremacy had foisted minions and non-performers on the constituency and the constituents who are ultimately the net-losers.

With increasing political awareness, great access to information via various social media channels, escalating impoverishment and shrinking population of politically apathetic, political Parties realized they needed more than just the platform to win elections. It was for this reason that the APC leadership in the State and Kogi East, in particular, co-opted and worked tirelessly to ensure that Jibrin Isah emerged as its Kogi East Senatorial candidate.

It was not that rosy for Victor Adoji as his former Party, the PDP, chose to offer its ticket to the seating Senator, Attai Aidoko, without holding a primary election either in defiance or as an act of impunity.

The thinking is that considering the dismal performance of the APC in the State, anyone who gets the ticket of the main opposition Party in the State could be said to have won the Senatorial election. That has turned out to be a huge miscalculation considering the hundreds on PDP members who dumped the Party not necessarily to join the APC but in support of Jibrin Isah.

However, Victor Adoji’s emergence on the ADC platform re-channeled the hemorrhage of PDP members in favour of the ADC and some APC members. Those who have not openly moved have only stayed back to achieve two things one of which is to be beneficiaries of the largesse that has been touted by the divisional party chairman and promised by the PDP candidate, Senator Attai Aidoko.

In a survey of fifty (50) people each across the nine local governments of Kogi East, Ninety-Five percent (428 respondents) categorically said they would either vote for Victor or Echocho. Three percent (13 respondents) said they would vote for Amade Edime while less than one percent (4 respondents) said they would vote for Attai Aidoko.

When the question was reversed along Party lines, Fifty-One percent (229 respondents) said they would either vote for PDP or APC. Thirty-Two percent (144 respondents) said they would vote for the ADC, Five Percent (21 respondents) while another five percent (21 respondents) said they would vote for APDA.

Evidently, two variables (personality and party platform) would play significantly in how the electorates would make their choices in the forthcoming elections especially the Kogi East senatorial election. But, more than any other factor under consideration, the personality of the individuals would play a bigger role.

In the coming days, weeks and months, the involvement of the Igala elite class, various interest/pressure groups, affiliations, and accessibility will do a lot to either shift or tilt the balance in favour or against any of the two leading candidates. Issues like the quality of their manifestoes, their performances during the various debates that would be organized as well as the pedigree of influencers they deploy would count a lot in endearing them to the electorates.

There is also the waning influence of major stakeholders across the two leading Parties in the Eastern flank of the State. Findings from the survey also revealed that most of the youthful members of the parties see their elders as working only for themselves and their pockets and are not ready to take any orders from those they say have compromised hiding behind the doctrine of “Party id supreme” or in expectation of political appointment of contract.

While we could not get access to the membership registers of the two leading Parties to know the total members of both parties in Kogi East, we are told that the total number of Party members in both parties cannot be up to a hundred thousand. That is less than fifteen percent of the voting in Kogi East. Impliedly, most of those who decide the outcome of elections are not Party members but non-partisan voters. It follows therefore that the forthcoming election is going to be form, size and shape more about the personality and less about the Party platform.

In the final analysis, the Kogi East Senatorial election is a two-horse race between Dr. Victor Alewo Adoji of the ADC and Dr. Jibrin Isah of the APC and in the end, it comes down to the very little things beyond the scope of money, thuggery, window-dressing and godfatherism.

– Isah wrote in from Idah, Kogi State.

BIG STORY

Atiku Denies Report Of Stepping Down For Southern Candidate, Blames APC For Fake Story

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has rejected claims suggesting he was under pressure to withdraw for a southern candidate ahead of the 2027 presidential election, describing them as false and politically driven.

In a statement released by his media office on Tuesday, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) referred to the alleged meeting as “phantom,” insisting he never attended any such gathering and no such talks were held.

“There was no such meeting. Atiku Abubakar was never in attendance,” the statement said. “The entire story is a malicious fabrication — pure fiction cooked up in the propaganda kitchens of the Tinubu-led APC regime.”

He accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of spreading the false report in an attempt to divert attention from its failures and cause division within the opposition.

Atiku asserted that the increasing popularity of the Allied Democratic Congress (ADC), recently adopted by a coalition of opposition groups as their platform for the 2027 elections, has unsettled the ruling party.

“This is just a diversionary tactic by a faltering administration to sow discord within the opposition ranks and derail the momentum gained by the successful unveiling of the ADC as the coalition’s political vehicle,” he stated.

He affirmed that no amount of planted stories, anonymous briefings, or propaganda would weaken the opposition’s determination to take power from what he described as a “rudderless government.”

“Atiku remains committed to the unity and progress of Nigeria,” the statement continued. “We are united, focused, and determined to rescue Nigeria from the clutches of this rudderless government.”

He also urged Nigerians and the media to disregard the report, calling it a baseless fabrication lacking credibility or truth.

The statement was released amid increasing political movements ahead of the 2027 elections, as opposition leaders realign to build a united front against the APC.

Atiku, who has contested for the presidency several times, remains a key figure in the opposition and has not ruled out another run for the presidency.

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BIG STORY

Obi, Amaechi’s Fight For Ticket Can Lead To ADC’s Collapse — Primate Ayodele

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The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has warned that the struggle for the African Democratic Congress presidential ticket between former Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, could result in the collapse of the coalition.

He made this statement during the unveiling of his annual prophecy book titled “Warnings To The Nations (2025/2026 edition)” on July 5, 2025.

Ayodele, who had earlier predicted that ADC would become the coalition’s platform, stated that although the movement is “divine,” it may collapse due to politicians with “selfish interests.”

He said, “The ADC coalition is divine, has the capacity to pull up something great in 2027 but politicians with selfish interests can collapse it.

“I am seeing Peter Obi and Rotimi Amaechi having a public fallout due to the presidential ticket of the ADC before 2027.”

He also mentioned that both Obi and Amaechi could leave the coalition because of the presidential ticket.

Ayodele stated, “If Peter Obi doesn’t get the presidential ticket, he will pull out of the coalition.

“Like I said, the coalition is divine but humans can jeopardise the movement.

“They need to be careful.”

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BIG STORY

COALITION: Peter Obi Will Be Expelled From Labour Party — Arabambi

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The Labour Party has announced its intention to expel former presidential candidate Peter Obi over his participation in an opposition coalition seeking to remove President Bola Tinubu.

During a live appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, a party chieftain, Abayomi Arabambi, said Obi’s involvement with the coalition while remaining a Labour Party member was “unconstitutional” and “unacceptable.”

“Let me make it very clear: we are convening a NEC [National Executive Council] meeting where he [Obi] will be expelled. It is unconstitutional for you to belong to two political parties at a time. They have deceived him to their side, and there he shall remain,” Arabambi said.

He explained that the NEC would recommend Obi’s expulsion, which would then be formally approved at the party’s convention in line with its constitution.

“Obi will be expelled from our party. He is no longer a member. It is not within his right to claim, ‘I am still a member of the Labour Party,’ and at the same time be hobnobbing with what we call the ‘yahoo yahoo’ coalition. We are not going to accept that,” he said.

In a critical statement, Arabambi rejected claims that Obi was responsible for the Labour Party’s rise, saying, “I want to correct a very wrong notion—Obi did not make the Labour Party; the Labour Party made Peter Obi. It was just a chance of circumstance because of the #EndSARS protests and the failings of past administrations. Nigerians were simply tired.”

He insisted that it was the party’s credibility that gave Obi the platform that elevated his political image in 2023.

“It’s because of our own integrity. That was what gave Obi what he is today. He should be banking on our goodwill, not the other way around. He started the crisis in the Labour Party,” he said.

Arabambi also accused Obi of having an authoritarian approach, saying, “If he can fight party members to do his will, then he is not fit to run the party.”

He emphasized that the Labour Party had only one recognized leadership, stating, “Let me also make it clear: we do not have groups in the Labour Party. We have only one leadership under Julius Abure, our national chairman.”

Arabambi’s comments came after the Julius Abure-led faction of the Labour Party gave Obi a 48-hour deadline to formally resign from the party over his alleged “bromance” with the coalition.

In a statement dated 3 July, LP’s Obiora Ifoh said, “Labour Party is not part of the coalition. Therefore, any of our members who are part of the coalition are given within 48 hours to formally resign his membership of the party.

Labour Party is not available for people with dual agendas or deceptive personas. We will not allow individuals to have one leg in our party and the other elsewhere.”

Ifoh accused coalition members of being opportunistic politicians “interested in relaunching themselves into the circle of power.”

This situation arose after the opposition coalition met on Wednesday, 2 July, in Abuja, where the ADC was adopted as its platform for the 2027 elections.

The coalition appointed former Senate President David Mark as interim national chairman and former Osun governor Rauf Aregbesola as secretary.

The meeting was attended by many prominent politicians, including Atiku Abubakar, Nasir El-Rufai, Rotimi Amaechi, Dino Melaye, Dele Momodu, Gabriel Suswam, Ireti Kingibe, Emeka Ihedioha, and Sadique Abubakar—along with Obi.

 

Credit: Channels TV

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