By joshua Igala/Bassa Progressive Forum Endorses Tinubu, Ododo for 2027, Targets 90% Votes in Kogi East
The Igala/Bassa Progressive Forum for Tinubu/Ododo 2027 on Tuesday held a State of the District Press Conference at the NUJ Hall, Lokoja, declaring “sacrosanct” support for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo in 2027.
Addressing journalists and invited guests, Chairman of the Forum, Comr. Maximilian Emmanuel Tashilani, said the group was “a child of necessity” birthed to give political direction and attract democratic deliverables to Kogi East Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general election.
Quoting Machiavelli on the difficulty of initiating a new order, Tashilani said the Forum comprises seasoned politicians, academics, and professionals committed to changing the district’s narrative through partnerships and alliances.
He stressed that with over 900,000 of Kogi’s 2,009,902 registered voters and nine of the state’s 21 LGAs, Kogi East must be fully integrated into the political mainstream.
The Forum argued that no administration in the last three has benefited the Igala/Bassa people like President Tinubu’s. It cited increased federal appointments, including the Minister of Steel Development and the Chief of Army Staff, as evidence of higher representation. It also commended Tinubu’s economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and monetary policies, infrastructure approvals such as the Free Trade Zone and Kogi Cargo Airport, and youth initiatives like the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND.
On the state level, the group said Governor Ododo is replicating the “Renewed Hope Agenda” through investments in agriculture, healthcare, and education. It praised Ododo’s commitment to security and projects in Kogi East, adding that his administration is sustaining “solid and sound ideological principles.”
Tashilani highlighted Kogi East’s economic potential: cashew and palm oil production, massive coal reserves in Okaba, Ankpa LGA, capable of supplying Nigeria’s electricity for 400 years, crude oil in Ibaji, and fertile land for yam, cassava, and rice in Idah, Ibaji, Ankpa and Bassa.
He described the district’s riverine location on the Niger and Benue as strategic for a logistics hub linking northern farms to southern markets.
The Forum pledged to lead voter enlightenment and mobilization to ensure 90% of Kogi East votes are cast for Tinubu and Ododo in 2027. Tashilani said the group would give Ododo “the needed support to ensure he does more for the people” in a second term.
The press conference ended with prayers for Nigeria, President Tinubu, Kogi State, and Governor Ododo.