By joshua 
SOUTHERNERS HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE TO ODODO – Abu Micheal
…As Grassroots Mobilizer, Hon. Stephen Evelyn Flags Off 2027 Campaign in Shettima
The resolve of Southerners residing in Kogi State to stand with the administration of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo received a major boost on Friday as leaders and women of the South-South community declared that the Governor has no alternative in 2027.
The declaration was made by the President of South-South residents in Kogi State and Special Adviser to the Governor on South-South Mobilization, Hon. Abu Micheal, during a strategic engagement with members of the community in and around Shettima, Army Barracks and Zango areas of Lokoja.
The meeting, convened by Hon. Stephen Evelyn, the Local Government Special Assistant to the Governor on Grassroots Mobilization (South-South) and Founder of the Shettima New Layout Political Forum, was described as both an appreciation gathering and the flag-off of grassroots mobilization for the 2027 general elections.
Addressing the gathering, Abu Micheal said the inclusion of Southerners in the governance architecture of Kogi State for the first time since the state’s creation in 1991 has fundamentally changed the political equation.
“For 34 years, we lived here, paid our taxes, built our businesses and raised our families, but we were treated as outsiders. Today, Governor Ododo has made us stakeholders. He gave us appointments, he gave us a voice, he gave us belonging. That is why I say without fear that Southerners in Kogi have no alternative to Ododo,” he declared.
He noted that the appointment of South-South indigenes into strategic positions, including Special Advisers and Special Assistants, is unprecedented in the history of the state, covering people from Edo, Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Bayelsa and Akwa-Ibom who have made Kogi their home.
“This government does not ask where you come from, but what you can contribute. That is the Kogi dream we have all prayed for,” Abu Micheal added, urging the communities to translate their gratitude into massive support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027.
In her remarks, Hon. Stephen Evelyn said the meeting was organized to appreciate the women of Shettima New Layout for standing by her over the years and to formally flag off her political structure for the 2027 elections.
She expressed profound gratitude to Governor Ododo for finding her worthy of appointment, describing it as a rare honour for a woman of South-South extraction.
“My appointment is not just for me, it is for every South-South woman in this layout who has been told she does not belong. Governor Ododo has broken that jinx. My resolve, therefore, is to galvanize every woman, every youth, every household in Shettima, Army Barracks and Zango for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and all APC candidates in 2027,” she said.
Evelyn, who has been instrumental in mobilizing women at the grassroots, said her forum will commence ward-to-ward and house-to-house sensitization to ensure massive voter registration and participation.
The event, which was attended by women leaders, youth coordinators and community elders, featured solidarity songs and a renewed pledge of loyalty to the Ododo administration.
Observers say the strategic incorporation of non-indigene communities, particularly the South-South bloc which controls significant voting strength in Lokoja metropolis, is emerging as one of the masterstrokes of the Ododo administration – turning what was once a silent population into a vocal political force.
The meeting ended with a unanimous resolution to work as one family for the victory of the APC in the forthcoming general elections.
Highlights of the meeting was the distribution of condiments to the women by the Special Adviser on behalf of the convener of the meeting.