Kogi West Rejects Alliance Deal, Demands 2027 Governorship Ticket

By Fatima Saka

A political stalwart from Kogi West has said the district will not support any 2027 political alliance with Kogi East unless the arrangement guarantees Kogi West the governorship ticket, insisting that the district will not accept a deal that could again leave it without power.

The chieftain, who spoke exclusively with Daily Independent on condition of anonymity, said this was the major reason the Kogi West delegation walked out of a meeting convened to explore a possible alliance between the two senatorial districts ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

He described the proposals presented by the Kogi East delegation as a “deceitful black market”, alleging that the proposed strategies were designed to remove power from Kogi Central only to eventually hand the governorship to Kogi East.

“I must say that we were disappointed. The Kogi East delegation put forward strategies that seemed to rate us very low,” he said.

According to him, Kogi West could not accept an arrangement in which it would be used to defeat Kogi Central without having a clear path to producing the next governor.

“I think they completely underrated us. They put forward many proposals to take power from Kogi Central, but all of those proposals will eventually land the governorship in the East and tie our hands to the back. For us, this is unacceptable and we wouldn’t have accepted it,” he said.

The chieftain recalled the 1999 governorship election, arguing that Kogi West had previously lost an opportunity to produce the governor despite securing the governorship ticket of a major political party.

He said the experience remained a reason for the district to be cautious about entering into political alliances without clearly defined terms.

“It is not only the Central that has deprived us of the governorship. In 1999, the most popular party in Nigeria at the time gave us the governorship ticket. But Kogi East fielded their son on the platform of the then APP and defeated our son,” he said.

He argued that any genuine alliance between Kogi East and Kogi West should recognise the governorship ambition of the West rather than seek to use the district merely as a vehicle for removing the incumbent administration.

“If the proposed alliance must work, Kogi East needs to take a step back and reconsider their determination to use us to take power from our closest neighbour,” he said.

The political stalwart also cited the 2023 election, saying Kogi West supported the candidate from Kogi Central rather than its own candidate because of calculations about the rotation of power.

“In 2023, the incumbent won because the West worked with the Central. West didn’t vote their sons. They deliberately voted a candidate from the Central with the hope of taking power from him after his tenure,” he said.

He maintained that Kogi West now faces a choice between supporting an incumbent with five years remaining in office or entering into an arrangement that could leave the district waiting indefinitely for its turn.

“The options before us are to support who has five years to go or wait till eternity if we are giving it to the East,” he said.

He alleged that the proposal from Kogi East was aimed at securing power for the district without providing reciprocal guarantees to Kogi West.

“With the way the delegation of Kogi East behaved at the meeting, they only want to take power and then ensure that no one is able to take it from them again. We cannot be trapped in such a selfish arrangement,” he said.

The chieftain further rejected the suggestion that the Kogi West delegation was acting on behalf of any political bloc, saying its position was driven by the district’s governorship ambition.

“It was an insult for them to begin to call us supporters of anyone after we rejected the slavery they are negotiating with us. We are supporters of Kogi West,” he said.

“We want the governorship, but we won’t go into the market blind. We reject any proposal that won’t give us the governorship ticket first and we won’t be bullied by any ethnic group.”

He called on Kogi East to demonstrate its commitment to an equitable arrangement by allowing Kogi West to produce the governor in 2027.

“If Kogi East is genuine, they should step down and allow Kogi West to have it in 2027,” he said.

On possible discussions with Kogi Central, the chieftain said Kogi West remained open to negotiations with all political interests, stressing that its priority was to secure the governorship either in 2027 or at the earliest opportunity.

“We are open to discussing with everyone to find a solution. We are interested in the governorship, but we don’t want to be deceived,” he said.

The development comes amid increasing political consultations and realignments among the three senatorial districts ahead of the 2027 governorship election, with zoning, rotation and power-sharing arrangements emerging as key issues.

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In the 2023 governorship election, Kogi West produced the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Senator Dino Melaye, while Kogi East produced the Social Democratic Party candidate, Alhaji Muritala Ajaka. Political alignment between Kogi West and Kogi Central also featured prominently in the election.

With consultations expected to intensify, the willingness of Kogi West to enter any alliance appears increasingly tied to whether such an arrangement can guarantee the district a clear route to the governorship.If you want, I can also make the **headline more punchy and newspaper-style**, with a stronger political angle.