By joshua Lokoja I 2027: Time To Do Things Differently – Why Hon. Bin-ebiaya Shehu Tijjani Is The Name On Every Lip
By Abu Micheal
By the time 2027 comes around, Lokoja I State Constituency will be faced with a choice that goes beyond party logos and familiar names. It will be a choice between repeating the same cycle and trying something new. For many across the five Wards that make up the constituency, that “something new” has a name that keeps coming up in conversations: Hon. Bin-Ebaiya Shehu Tijjani of the All Progressives Congress.
Lokoja I has waited long for representation that feels present, accountable, and future-facing. The constituency, blessed with population, history and human capital as the heart of the state capital, deserves a voice that understands both the urgency of today and the demands of tomorrow. That is why the call is growing louder across Ward A, Ward B, Ward C, Ward D and Ward E: it is time to do things differently.
One of the first things people mention when Hon. Bin-Ebaiya’s name comes up is staying power. Politics in Lokoja I can be unforgiving. Many rise and fade. Few stay visible, engaged, and consistent between election cycles. Hon. Bin-Ebaiya has not. A public search of his activities over the years shows a pattern that is hard to ignore. From youth empowerment programs to community dialogues, from educational support to interventions in water and infrastructure, his presence has remained steady. He has been in the unnoticed communities when there were no cameras, and in the corners when the issues were hard. That consistency is what has earned him the trust of young people, elders, and professionals who are tired of seasonal politicians.
That staying power is also ideological. As a loyal member of the All Progressives Congress, Hon. Bin-Ebaiya has consistently pushed a message of inclusion, competence, and service over entitlement. The APC platform, to him, is not just a party. It is a vehicle to consolidate performance-based representation and open the door for ideas, for young people, and for visible results. That is why his name continues to surface online and in community discussions as one of the few who have remained constant in advocating for a new direction for Lokoja I.
Lokoja I does not need another House of Assembly member who disappears after inauguration for four years. It needs a representative who treats the mandate as a contract. The challenges are clear: youth unemployment among graduates, decaying inner streets and drainages in the state capital, perennial water scarcity, poor access to primary healthcare, and the feeling among many that the capital city constituency is not getting its fair share despite housing the seat of power. A better Lokoja I lies in the hands of young and upwardly mobile leaders who understand these problems because they live with them. At a time when the country is tilting toward innovation, technology, skills and entrepreneurship, the constituency needs someone who speaks that language and can translate it into state and federal opportunities.
Hon. Bin-Ebaiya has all it takes to deliver a new Lokoja I in terms of representation. He brings the energy of youth, the discipline of a professional administrator and former Special Adviser on Water Resources, and the humility to listen. He is not coming with promises written in the sky. He is coming with a record of showing up, and a plan to turn that presence into legislative action, oversight, and constituency impact.
Doing things differently for him is already measurable:
On infrastructure, particularly water which is his signature, he undertook the total reticulation and repair of moribund water pipes from Karaworo to Felele, Up Garage and other traditional areas in Lokoja, an intervention publicly commended by the Hakimi of Ward C. He has facilitated and personally provided motorized and solar-powered boreholes in water-scarce communities in Ward B, Ward D and Karaworo axis.
On education and empowerment, under his Educational Development Programme, he paid for 500 free JAMB forms for indigent students in Lokoja I in 2024 and 2025, organized free computer-based mentorship and tutorials for JAMB, WAEC, NECO and NABTEB candidates, and instituted a special reward for the best ten male and female students who excel. Beneficiaries like Hawad Muhammed, Okorie Nkeshi and Hanifa Bala have described him as a selfless leader.
Legislatively, he is credited with over 15 motions, including the motion for introduction of Maritime Courses in Kogi State Polytechnic, Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara and KSU Kabba, a motion for expansion of Lokoja Urban Mass Transit, and active contributions to the Anti-Corruption Agency Bill and Free Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare Services Bill.
Doing things differently for him means representation that is measured, not assumed. It means quarterly town halls across the five Wards, a functional constituency office that tracks projects, and a team that reports back to the people, not just to party leaders. It means prioritizing education and skills so that young people in Lokoja I can compete nationally. It means attracting state and federal presence in small-scale enterprise, digital jobs and water infrastructure so that the capital city stops exporting only civil servants and starts retaining wealth.
It also means a new tone in politics. Less godfatherism, more merit. Less division along old lines, more unity around development. The APC, under his direction in the constituency, has been positioning itself as that alternative, a party for people who want results more than rhetoric.
Elections are not won on nostalgia. They are won on conviction and credibility. Across Lokoja I today, there is a quiet consensus forming among students, traders, civil servants and community leaders in Ward A to Ward E: we have tried the usual. It is time to try capacity. Hon. Bin-Ebaiya Shehu Tijjani represents that shift. He is not asking for power as a reward. He is asking for it as a responsibility. His staying power, verifiable in years of community engagement and public advocacy that can be scooped on the net, suggests he understands that responsibility will not end on election day.
Lokoja I 2027 is therefore not just about a House of Assembly seat. It is about direction. It is about whether the constituency will continue with politics as usual, or whether it will take a deliberate step toward a new kind of representation. The signs are there. The conversations are happening. And the name on many lips not minding the mischief is the same: Hon. Bin-Ebaiya Shehu Tijjani. For Lokoja I, the message is simple. If we truly want a new Lokoja I, then it is time to do things differently, reelect the Lawmaker to a higher ranking and to be better position to compete and speak favourably for the people of Lokoja 1 State Constituency.