Kogi Councillors endorse Tinubu, Ododo for second term

By Precious Mark

Councillors across the 21 Local Government Areas of Kogi State have unanimously passed a vote of confidence and endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the state Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, for a second term in office.

The endorsement was formalized on Friday during a courtesy visit by members of the Kogi State Councillors’ Forum to the Government House in Lokoja, where the grassroots lawmakers pledged their total loyalty to both the federal and state administrations.

The motion for the historic endorsement of President Tinubu was moved by Alfa Abubakar, the Chief Whip representing Anyigba Ward in Dekina Local Government Area, and was seconded by Ayodele Dorcas Adejumoke, the councillor representing Okoro-Igah Ward in Ijumu Local Government Area, amid resounding applause from the chamber.

Responding to the development, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo expressed profound appreciation to the local lawmakers, describing their unwavering confidence in him as a “blank cheque” that will continue to inspire his administration’s commitment to inclusive governance and grassroots development.

The governor paid glowing tribute to President Bola Tinubu and the immediate past governor of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello, noting that his political emergence was made possible through their leadership and divine grace.

Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo commended the maturity and unity demonstrated by the forum, describing councillors as the closest elected representatives to the people whose contributions remain indispensable to rural transformation.

He charged the public officials to see their roles as a call to sacrifice, adding that his administration chose to deviate from the status quo to deliver tangible results to ordinary citizens.

“You cannot continue doing things the same way and expect different results,” he stated.

Reflecting on his political journey, the governor stated that his emergence from a humble background serves as a powerful reminder that no citizen should ever see himself or herself as inferior.

“If God could use our President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and our leader, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, together with all of you, to entrust someone like me with this responsibility, then nobody should look down on himself or herself,” he added.

Earlier in her remarks, Comfort Olufunke Obaromi, the Leader of the Kogi State Councillors’ Forum, congratulated the governor on his landmark achievements in the areas of security, infrastructure, economic growth, and youth empowerment across the 239 wards of the state.

She, however, appealed to the state government to look into the welfare of local lawmakers by providing official vehicles for council leaders, enhanced remuneration, and legislative capacity-building tools.

Comfort Olufunke Obaromi also urged the governor to consider absorbing outgoing councillors who may not be returning for another term into suitable alternative positions to allow them to continue contributing to the state. Reacting to her request, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo noted with satisfaction that roughly 63% of the councillors were successfully returning for another term, a factor he cited as clear evidence of growing public confidence in grassroots governance.