By joshua STILL ON KOGI’S 2026 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTION
By Our Reporter
History was made in Kogi State on Saturday, October 17, 2026, and it deserves to be properly documented.
For the first time in a long while, Kogites went to sleep after a Local Government election without tension, without blood on the streets, without burning tyres and without the familiar tales of ballot box snatching and gunshots at polling units.
The state that was once notorious for electoral violence witnessed uncommon peace and tranquility, a rare and noble achievement that must be celebrated by all lovers of democracy.
At the centre of this historic feat is the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission, KOSIEC, ably led by its Chairman, Hon. Mamman Nda Eri.
From all verifiable accounts, KOSIEC showed that credibility is a product of preparation and not accident. The Commission, in line with the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission Law, 2025 and the Electoral Act, 2022, rolled out and completed all thirteen activities outlined for the 2026 local government elections, a process that began almost a year ago.
While declaring the results at the Commission’s headquarters in Lokoja on Sunday, October 19, the Chairman disclosed the scope of the work done.
Elections were conducted in 3,508 polling units across 239 electoral wards in the 21 Local Government Areas, with twelve political parties cleared after satisfying statutory requirements.
Before the election, KOSIEC undertook extensive voter education programmes and critical stakeholder engagements with political parties, security agencies, accredited election observers, journalists, traditional rulers, civil society organisations and the electorate.
It provided what the Chairman rightly described as a level playing field for all participants.
The result was an exercise described by the Commission and independent observers as peaceful, free, fair and credible.
It is remarkable and praiseworthy that no petition was received challenging the electoral process before or during the election, a clear testament to transparency in screening, training of ad-hoc staff and timely deployment of materials.
Most importantly, for the first time in any Kogi election cycle in recent memory, there was no reported case of ballot snatching, ballot box stuffing or violence at polling units.
That alone is a watershed and deserves national applause. It proves that when the umpire is firm and impartial, the players behave.
KOSIEC could not have done it alone and its success must be shared with other critical stakeholders who made it possible.
We acknowledge the role of security agencies for ensuring a hitch-free exercise, the political parties for conducting themselves with decorum, the accredited observers and journalists for their vigilance, the traditional rulers for their moral suasion and the Kogi electorate for proving that peace is possible when there is trust.
We also note the enabling environment provided by Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo who, unlike the old order, allowed KOSIEC to discharge its statutory responsibilities without interference, providing logistics without dictating outcomes.
The commendation from Commissioners of other State Independent Electoral Commissions who monitored the Kogi polls and described it as a model for grassroots democracy is something that must be sustained and improved upon.
Kogi has set a template for SIECs across Nigeria.
No election is perfect, not even general elections conducted by INEC.
While the All Progressives Congress swept all 21 chairmanship seats and 239 councillorship positions, expectedly raising dust among opposition parties, it is important to state that democracy provides a lawful window for redress.
The need to address any fallout now lies with the tribunal and not with self-help or incitement.
There is still a learning curve. Voter turnout was varied across polling units, stronger voter education is still needed and greater transparency in result collation and declaration would further boost public confidence.
This is a work in progress, no doubt, but it is progress that must be acknowledged and encouraged.
At this point, attention must be drawn to the leadership style of the KOSIEC Chairman, Hon. Mamman Nda Eri.
Soft-spoken, firm and methodical, Eri has restored dignity to a Commission that was once seen as a mere extension of Government House.
Under him, KOSIEC has become procedural, predictable and professional. He insisted on documentation standards, enforced submission deadlines which led to non-clearance of some major parties and stood firmly by the law. That is exactly how an umpire should be.
What should be next is consolidation. KOSIEC should publish polling unit by polling unit results for public audit, deepen its digital voter education drive, institutionalise early engagement with the Inter-Party Advisory Council and civil society and ensure that Certificates of Return are issued promptly to the newly elected chairmen and councillors.
The outcome should be sustained in the 2027 general election with preparation already in top gear.
Kogi has just proven that elections can be won without war and that ballots can be counted without bloodshed.
If the template of October 17, 2026 is maintained, documented and improved upon, Kogi will not only sustain peace at the grassroots but will enter the 2027 general election as a reference point for credible, rancour-free polls in Nigeria.
The 2026 polls were not just an election, they were a statement that peace is possible in Kogi State, and that statement must endure.