By joshua LOKOJA 1 ADOPTS TIJJANI FOR SECOND TERM: 2027 SETTLED
By Abu Michael
Walk through the streets of Lokoja township, the bustling markets of Kabawa, the riverine communities of Adankolo or the hillside settlements of Karaworo and you will hear one thing repeatedly: “2027 is settled.”
In Lokoja 1 State Constituency, the conversation is no longer about who will represent the people in the Kogi State House of Assembly. The people have already made their choice. They have adopted Hon. Bin-Ebaiya Shehu Tijjani of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for a second term.
The question now is different: How do we sustain this momentum? How does the performing lawmaker do even more?
Hon. Tijjani has become the reference point other constituencies wish they had. Not loud for noise, but loud for the wellbeing of the people. A one-man result-oriented squad who breaks barriers of neglect.
He works with ideas and action. On the floor of the House, he has championed causes that speak directly to Lokoja’s survival.
When the Marine Police Station in Lokoja collapsed and waterway insecurity rose, he moved for its urgent rehabilitation. When fire razed the GSM Village at Kpata Market and destroyed millions belonging to Lokoja youths, he raised a motion of urgent public importance demanding government palliative.
When the Felele highway kept claiming the lives of Federal University Lokoja students, his motion led to the approval of an alternative route. When drug abuse and gender-based violence surged, he called for a State Rehabilitation Centre. That is legislating with purpose.
Beyond motions, he has brought compassion to the doorstep. Women, youths and children are his priority. His personal interventions in emergencies, school fees, hospital bills and small business support are well known across Ward A, B, C, D and E.
A mother in Adankolo put it plainly: “Before now, nobody remembered us. Today we have a voice because our lawmaker remembers us.”
Traditional rulers say he does not wait to be invited. He goes to communities, listens and returns with solutions. Youth and women leaders attest that his empowerment programs are consistent, not seasonal.
That is why stakeholders insist Lokoja 1 cannot afford to experiment in 2027. As one elder in Karaworo said, “We have seen what works. Now we want to consolidate it.”
What the people now demand is sustainability. More inner roads, more solar streetlights, more transformers, more support for traders, fishermen and students, and more visibility for Lokoja 1, the heart of the state capital.
Hon. Tijjani says he understands the assignment. His alignment with Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deliberate – to ensure Lokoja 1 gets its fair share.
At this point, all hands must be on deck. This is not the time to change a performing lawmaker who is with the people on a daily basis.
The political reality is clear: APC is the party everyone is tilting towards. Lokoja 1 cannot afford to be in opposition. Doing otherwise will be a disservice and will disconnect the constituency from the powers at the State and Federal levels.
To those who are aggrieved, we appeal: sheath your swords. There is always another time. Four years, as we all know, is like blinking an eye. Your time will come.
What Lokoja 1 needs now is unity of purpose. Let us rally around a man whose performance has made campaign less unnecessary and tedious, where governance itself has become the campaign.
In Lokoja 1, the 2027 Assembly contest is no longer a contest. It is a ratification of work already done. The affirmation that returned Hon. Tijjani as APC candidate across the five wards on May 20, 2026 proves it.
The real contest is against urban decay, youth unemployment and limited opportunities. And constituents believe Hon. Bin-Ebaiya Shehu Tijjani is the man to lead that fight.
For Lokoja 1, the future is not a gamble. It is a project already in motion.