2027: Lokoja Appointees Target More Votes For Tinubu, Ododo, APC

Political appointees from Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State have resolved to mobilise overwhelming votes for President Bola Tinubu, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 general elections.

The resolution was reached on Wednesday at a strategic meeting convened by the state Commissioner for Water Resources, Engr. Yahaya MD Farouk, which brought together Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants, Directors-General, as well as chairmen and members of boards and commissions from the local government.

Addressing the meeting, Farouk stressed the need for unity and cohesion among APC members in Lokoja ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said following the party’s victory in Lokoja during the 2023 elections and the conclusion of post-election litigations, the major challenge confronting the APC in the local government was managing its internal dynamics rather than opposition from other political parties.

According to him, the defection of several opposition members into the APC had further strengthened the party’s chances of recording a more decisive victory in 2027.

“We won Lokoja in 2023 when we were not appointees. The opportunity to serve is a privilege, and the reward for that privilege must be more votes for the APC,” he said.

The commissioner urged aggrieved party members to embrace forgiveness and work together, stressing that political appointees must strengthen their grassroots engagement and ensure that their activities translate into electoral support for the party.

Farouk challenged the appointees to double the votes secured by the APC in Lokoja during the 2023 elections, while also targeting the highest voter turnout during the forthcoming local government elections.

He said achieving the target would place the party in a strong position to secure Governor Ododo’s re-election.

“We want Lokoja LGA to lead in the conduct of the LG elections, deliver President Tinubu and all APC candidates, and make the governorship election for Gov. Ododo a seamless win.

“The challenge for us in the APC is how to double the votes. Our strategy must improve on what we used in 2023,” Farouk stated.

He also appealed to members to contribute to party funding and mobilisation, announcing that meetings of political appointees from Lokoja would henceforth be held regularly until after the January 2027 elections.

Describing Lokoja as a “no-go area for any opposition political party,” the commissioner urged the appointees to intensify their mobilisation efforts across the various wards and communities.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Kogi State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (KOSOPADEC), Hon.

Suleiman Ndalaye Abdullahi, said the appointment of Lokoja indigenes by Governor Ododo imposed a responsibility on them to work together for the success of the administration and the party.

“We are appointees because Gov. Ododo is Governor. Lokoja is fortunate because of its diversity. We must see that as an advantage and our strength,” he said.

Abdullahi added that unity among the appointees would make the party’s victory in Lokoja easier, urging them to educate voters on what he described as the reasons the APC should be retained at both the federal and state levels.

Other speakers, including Alhaji Attai Bozy, Bala Justice, Hajia Fatima Allahdey and Abdulazeez Otaru, pledged to mobilise their respective political bases for the APC in the local government and 2027 general elections.

The meeting also featured an interactive session during which participants identified challenges and discussed strategies for strengthening the party’s grassroots mobilisation.

A five-member strategy and funding committee was subsequently inaugurated to develop workable mobilisation strategies and funding modalities for the APC’s campaign in Lokoja.

The committee is chaired by Hon. Amami Galadima, a member of the Governing Council of the College of Education, Ankpa.

Dignitaries at the meeting included the Speaker of the 4th Assembly, Hon. Abdulrahman Dangana; Hon. Shiru Lawal; Hon. Kassim Isiyaku; and other APC stakeholders and political appointees from Lokoja.

The appointees expressed optimism that improved strategy, unity and sustained grassroots engagement would enable the APC to secure the highest number of votes in Lokoja and Kogi State in the 2027 elections.