Kogi East APC seeks governorship slot 10 years after Audu’s death

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in Kogi East Senatorial District have renewed their calls for the return of the Kogi State governorship to the district, saying it is time to reposition the area politically a decade after the death of former Governor Prince Abubakar Audu.

The demand formed the highlight of a communiqué issued at the end of a strategic leadership conference held in Abuja on Thursday, where party leaders declared that Kogi East must work with the other senatorial districts to achieve a peaceful and equitable power-sharing arrangement ahead of the 2027 elections.

The communiqué was signed by 26 prominent APC leaders from the district, including Conference Chairman Maj. Gen. Patrick Akpa (retd), Isaac Onu, Ismaila Hussani, Emmanuel Egwu, Salamatu Umar-Eluma, AIG Abutu Iyaro (retd), Abdulahi Haruna (SAN) and Prof. Aliyu Idris.

In his speech, Akpa stressed that Kogi East would no longer accept being treated as “an appendage of any political bloc” in the state.

The conference chair recalled that the death of Audu shortly after the 2015 governorship election created political divisions that had persisted for more than a decade, arguing that the time had come to heal old wounds and rebuild alliances capable of returning political power to Kogi East.

“We acknowledge, with courage, that the lack of proper internal political realignment in Kogi State following the historic 2015 election and the sudden, painful passing of our revered leader, Prince Abubakar Audu, is a matter that must finally be resolved after more than ten years,” the communiqué stated.

While pressing for the governorship to return to Kogi East, the stakeholders pledged total support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and Governor Ahmed Ododo’s second-term bid, describing victory for the APC in the 2027 presidential, National Assembly, state assembly and governorship elections as the party’s immediate priority.

According to them, Kogi East delivered the highest bloc vote for Tinubu among the state’s three senatorial districts during the 2023 presidential election and was prepared to improve on that performance in the next polls.

They also called for a new framework for political power rotation in Kogi State, urging leaders across Kogi Central, Kogi West and Kogi East to embrace dialogue and negotiate an equitable arrangement that would guarantee fairness, stability and sustainable development.

“We call for an immediate shift toward building consensus, renegotiating power transfer and rotation, and establishing an inclusive, development-driven agenda that guarantees equitable access to the instruments of power.

“Kogi East will never be an appendage of any other nationality or political bloc. We stand as a major block, prepared to seize all opportunities this time around for our people,” Akpa stated.

The stakeholders further appealed for reconciliation among members of the late Audu’s political family, saying internal divisions had weakened the district’s influence in state politics since his death.

They resolved to mobilise APC structures across the nine local government areas of Kogi East for Tinubu’s re-election, support the institutionalisation of the Prince Abubakar Audu Leadership Foundation and press for a national honour for the late former governor in recognition of his contributions to Kogi State and Nigeria.

Audu, who was widely regarded as one of the founding political figures of Kogi State, died on November 22, 2015, while the governorship election process was still underway after the Independent National Electoral Commission declared the poll inconclusive.