The stakeholders also called for a negotiated and peaceful framework for power rotation among the three senatorial districts of Kogi State.
The resolutions were contained in a communiqué issued after the Kogi East APC Strategic Leadership Conference held in Abuja on Monday under the chairmanship of Major-Gen. Patrick Ademu Akpa (rtd).
The group said its immediate priority was to mobilise voters across the nine local government areas of Kogi East for Tinubu, Ododo and other APC candidates in the 2027 general elections.
It described Kogi East as the largest voting bloc in the state and said the district delivered the highest share of votes for Tinubu among Kogi State’s three senatorial districts during the 2023 presidential election.
The stakeholders said they were prepared to increase their electoral contribution in 2027, citing appointments given to indigenes of Kogi East by the Tinubu administration.
They, however, said political support should go alongside discussions with stakeholders from Kogi Central and Kogi West on a transparent and peaceful arrangement for the rotation of political power in the state.
‘We call for an immediate shift toward building consensus, renegotiating power transfer and rotation, and establishing an inclusive, development-driven agenda that guarantees equitable access to the instruments of power,’ the communiqué said.
‘Kogi East will never be an appendage of any other nationality or political bloc. We stand as a major bloc… prepared to seize all opportunities this time around for our people.’
The stakeholders also raised concerns over what they described as a 20-year infrastructural deficit in Kogi East, saying political engagement with both the state and federal governments should result in concrete development projects across the district.
They said residents of the area had suffered from infrastructural neglect and internal leadership challenges, particularly in the years following the death of former Kogi State Governor, Prince Abubakar Audu.
The group said it would seek accelerated intervention in road infrastructure and upgrades of public facilities across the nine local government areas of the senatorial district.
It also cited some projects associated with the administration of the late Audu, including the establishment of the state’s first university in Anyigba, the Obajana Cement Project in Kogi West and road infrastructure.
According to the communiqué, the stakeholders resolved to engage Kogi Central and Kogi West ‘on equitable terms’ towards establishing a predictable and transparent framework for future power shifts.
They also pledged to pursue reconciliation within Kogi East and address internal political divisions that followed the 2015 elections.
The stakeholders further called for the institutionalisation of the non-partisan Prince Abubakar Audu Leadership Foundation and urged the Federal Government to confer a national honour on the late former governor.
The communiqué was signed by 26 Kogi East leaders, including Major-Gen. Patrick Ademu Akpa (rtd), Amb. Isaac A. Onu, Rt. Hon. Ismaila Inna Hussani, Rt. Hon. Dr. Emmanuel Egwu, Hajia Salamatu Baiwa Umar-Eluma, AIG Abutu Iyaro (rtd), Dr. Sani Teidi, Hon. Dan Okolo, Abdulahi Haruna (SAN), Dr. Johnson Musa, Prof. Aliyu Idris, Dr. Tom Diche, Hajia Mariam Yakubu, Hajia Hassanat Abubakar and Hon. Abubakar Sadiq Ainoko.