AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNOR AHMED USMAN ODODO (THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF KOGI STATE).
Subject: Urgent Need for His Excellency, Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo to Respect Rotational Arrangement in Yagba Federal Constituency.
Your Excellency,
We are writing to express our concern and displeasure regarding the bias that exists within the political terrain in Yagba Federal Constituency. It has come to our attention about your clandestine and surreptitious move to identify, promote and support Elder Leke Abejide’s selfish third term agenda despite he is not a member of our political party, (APC). This action can be to termed as anti-party in it’s full fledged.
As a citizen of Yagba Federal Constituency and by extension Kogi State, we are aggrieved by your recent bias and exclusion. Your blatant display of favoritism is unbecoming of a Governor who is supposed to represent and serve the whole State, irrespective of geographical location or status.
It is imperative to speak up in a bid to curtailed against maneuvering and political instability that will jeopardize our democratic process in yagba federal constituency and by extension kogi state. Therefore, there is need for you to restrict the ploy of succumbing to the filthy lucre and political murky by the incumbent representative of yagba federal constituency, Elder Leke Abejide.
The zoning and rotation of political office is pivotal at this defining moment such that it will be fair to all areas that comprises of Yagbaland and from all historical precedence Mopamuro LGA has been under-represented.
As the Executive Governor of Kogi State, at the behest of the upcoming cycle of political dispensation, it is expected of you to demonstrate your belief in equity, fairness and justice and support the power rotation to Mopamuro LGA and kindly do away with machiavellian tactics to woe you at the detriment of the majority in Yagbaland.
Your Excellency, the major cause of the agitation in yagba federal constituency is the obvious alienation of the people from Mopamuro LGA which has attained it’s crescendo.
Our fear is that to deny Mopamuro LGA the very opportunity and in fact the right to produce the next house of representatives member will increase the agitation and ultimately brew political disintegration and instability.
Your Excellency fighting for equity and justice should be in vanguard for you, this is the mark of true statesman and in doing so, you would have written your name in gold in the heart of our people and in loving memory of our late political personalities like Late Chief S.B Awoniyi, Late Chief S.B Daniyan amongst others.
We must quickly add that the difference between the progressive and retrogressive or backward societies is the presence or absence of men of courage, selflessness, justice and truth. This is a noble path that beckons.
Your Excellency, we want to inform you that Elder Leke Abejide’s political adventure lacks both conscience and principle.
The immortal words of Othman Dan-Fodio that conscience is an open wound and only the truth can heal it. This should serve as a moral compass to you His Excellency.
Noah Webster had admonished that all the miseries, afflictions and evils men suffer from crime ambition, injustice oppression and slavery, proceed from their despising or neglecting the inner still voice of reason and conscience.
The question on the lips of well meaning yagba sons and daughters is that, does Elder Leke Abejide’s political ambition promotes peace and unity?
On the other hand an ambition that will set Yagba on a collision, mutual mistrust,civil disobedience, political upheavals and violence is not only unscrupulous but morally reprehensible.
For the purpose of clarity, this is how the Yagba House of Representatives Seat has rotated among the three (3) LGA’s since 1999 till Date.
1999- 2003 (4years ), Hon. Olorunshola Ojo of Mopamuro LGA as the House of Representatives Member;
2003-2007 (4 years), Hon. Joseph Tolorunju Faniyi of Yagba East LGA as the House of Representatives Member;
2007-2011 (4 years) Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro of Yagba West LGA as the House of Representatives Member;
2011- 2019 (8 years) Hon. Steve Sunday Karimi of Yagba West retained the seat and completed a total of (12 years) of representation from Yagba West, recall, Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro represented Yagba Federal Constituency between 2007-2011
2019- 2027, By 2027, Elder Leke Abejide, the incumbent Member from Yagba East LGA would have completed (8 years) of representation and in total (12 years) of representation for Yagba East in addition to that of Hon. Joseph Tolorunju Faniyi who represented Yagba Federal Constituency between 2003-2007
In a nutshell, Mopamuro has spent 4 years, Yagba West 12 years and Yagba East 12 years since 1999 till 2027. Therefore, our agitation for equity, fairness and justice stem from the above historical precedence that Mopamuro should also take the mantle of representation.
It is essential to ensure equal representation in the distribution of political power and the establishment of fair opportunities for people from all local governments with emphasis on Mopamuro LGA.
Based on the foregoing, we most sincerely advice your Excellency to use your good office as the Executive Governor of our dear state to prevail over Elder Leke Abejide to toe the path of reason, conscience and equity. It is important to add that posterity will be kind to your Excellency, if you reconsider your support for Elder Leke Abejide.
Your Excellency, we demand that you play the avart- garde role of championing the rule of law, justice, equity and fairness in all ramifications of governance and representation.
Therefore,we implore you, Governor Usman Ahmed Ododo, to address this issue with immediate effect, take prompt and necessary measures to rectify this bias in the distribution of political power and expedite the zoning of Yagba Federal Constituency Seat to Mopamuro Local Government Area.
We must admit that our request to you your Excellency is a very difficult pill to swallow but more difficult pill awaits the likely post 2027 agitations, political instability and breed resentment of the injustice against Mopamuro LGA of Kogi State.
Thank you for your anticipated attention to this matter.
E- Signed:
Yagba Voice of Reasoning and Conscience (YVRC)
8th January, 2026.
