adminThe people of Lokoja/Koto Federal Constituency are calling on His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo to intervene in the longstanding political imbalance in Kogi Western Senatorial District.
For too long, the indigenes of Lokoja/Koto have been marginalized, their aspirations sidelined in favor of a lopsided rotation that benefits only one part of the district the Okun axis.
We raise this appeal not out of anger, but out of democratic conviction.
Kogi West Senatorial District comprises seven local government areas:
Lokoja
Kogi/Koto Karfe
Kabba/Bunu
Ijumu
Mopa/Muro
Yagba East
Yagba West
Senatorial Representation Since 1999:
Years, Names and Origin Party
1999–2007 Tunde Ogbeha Lokoja/Koto PDP
2007–2011 Smart Adeyemi Okun (Kabba) PDP
2011–2015 Smart Adeyemi Okun (Kabba) PDP/APC
2015–2019 Dino Melaye Okun (Aiyetoro Gbede) APC
2019–2023 Smart Adeyemi Okun (Kabba) APC
2023–Present Sunday Karimi Okun (Yagba) APC
In the 24 years of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, Lokoja/Koto has only produced one senator, while three different Okun individuals have rotated through five terms, amounting to 19 years of continuous dominance.
This is a political improper fraction. It defies the spirit of equity. It contradicts the logic of inclusion.
Registered Voter Statistics:
Lokoja/Koto Axis:
Lokoja LGA – 157,248 registered voters
Kogi/Koto Karfe LGA – 63,342 registered voters
Total Lokoja/Koto: 220,590
Okun Axis (Five LGAs):
Yagba East – 51,234
Yagba West – 53,436
Mopa/Muro – 26,827
Kabba/Bunu – 87,162
Ijumu – 66,482
Total Okun Axis: 285,141
Despite this relatively close voter strength (220,590 vs 285,141), Lokoja/Koto has not had equitable representation.
Is this democracy or political monopoly?
We are not asking for power on a platter. We are demanding fairness. Lokoja/Koto has been a loyal bloc we vote, we mobilize, we participate. But our participation must translate to inclusion, or democracy begins to lose its soul.
Your Excellency, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, this is your moment to act. You are a symbol of a new era. Let that era also bring balance to Kogi West.
Let 2027 be the turning point.
Let Lokoja/Koto produce the next senator not as a handout, but as a right.
Let justice breathe.
Let equity speak.
Let Kogi West truly belong to all its people.
Signed:
Concerned Stakeholders of Lokoja/Koto, Kogi State.
