By joshua Ododo Describes Former Speaker Matthew Kolawole as a True Leader, Commends His Loyalty
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, has described the former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Prince Matthew Kolawole, as a true leader whose influence and commitment to his people have remained evident even after leaving office.
Governor Ododo stated this when Team YomiKola, led by Prince Kolawole, and their supporters paid a courtesy visit to him at the Government House, Lokoja.
The Governor said the continued loyalty and support of the people who served under Kolawole’s political leadership was a clear indication that the former Speaker carried his followers along and maintained strong relationships with them even out of office.
According to him, leadership should not be measured only by the position occupied, but by the ability to sustain the confidence, trust and unity of followers after leaving office.
“Prince Matthew Kolawole is a true leader. The calibre of people following him today shows he built relationships based on trust. That is true leadership,” Governor Ododo said, expressing confidence in Kolawole’s leadership qualities and urging him to continue contributing his best to the development of Kogi State.
He noted that the gathering of Team YomiKola and its supporters at the Government House demonstrated that Kolawole had built a political structure founded on mutual respect and loyalty, and thanked him for his commitment to the progress of the state.
Earlier, Prince Kolawole expressed gratitude to Governor Ododo for receiving him and members of Team YomiKola, describing the visit as an opportunity to reaffirm their respect for the Governor and commitment to the progress of Kogi State.
The former Speaker said the meeting had helped to dispel erroneous claims that he withdrew from the political contest out of fear, explaining that his decision to step down for Arc. Salman Idris was taken in the interest of the All Progressives Congress (APC), after consultations with his political family.
He noted that the delegation at the meeting represented only a fraction of the wider Team YomiKola structure spread across polling units in Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency, comprising founding members and loyal supporters of the APC who have remained steadfast despite political challenges.
Kolawole appealed to Governor Ododo to consider more members of the group for appointments, stating that about 90 per cent of its members were yet to benefit from appointments in the state government.
He commended the Ododo administration for its achievements in security, infrastructure, workers’ welfare and education, citing projects in Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu including the Ayetoro-Gbede township road, Asaya/Ogidi/Ayere road, erosion control measures in Kabba and developments at Kogi State University, Kabba.
The former Speaker disclosed that Team YomiKola had outlined a series of programmes to mobilise support for the Governor’s second term, including consultations with traditional rulers and community leaders across Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency and Okunland, a Kogi Summit in November to highlight projects and human-impact initiatives of the administration, a town hall meeting and sensitisation programme for artisans and market women in December, and an empowerment programme for widows across the federal constituency.
He recalled that Team YomiKola had on September 2, 2026, organised an endorsement programme for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Ododo in Kabba, which attracted over 2,000 supporters.
While acknowledging that some political actors from Kogi West had begun expressing interest in the governorship, Kolawole said Team YomiKola’s position is that Governor Ododo should be allowed to complete eight years in office, even as he appealed to the Governor to support the emergence of a successor from Kogi West in 2031 in the spirit of equity and rotation.
He further appealed to the Governor to consider appointing at least 10 members of the Team YomiKola political family into government and assured him that the structure would continue to communicate the administration’s programmes and directives to supporters across the constituency.