In Kogi East, we have come to understand that politics is not a game of noise, neither is it determined by the depth of pockets or by those who can shout the loudest in Abuja and on social media. Politics here is about destiny. It is about service. It is about a covenant, a sacred agreement between a leader and the people he represents.
That covenant has a name that resonates in every village, in every market and in every home across the nine local governments: Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho.
Today, there are many conversations happening in secret places. There are sponsored campaigns of lies and propaganda. There are restless movements by enemies within who are desperate to become leaders of Kogi East by all means. There is also a failed system that has for too long been uncomfortable with the rise of any Igala son from Kogi East who refuses to be controlled, who refuses to bow to godfathers and who insists on standing with his people.
But above all the noise, above all the plotting, one truth remains constant and unshaken. The voice of the people is the voice of God. And the voice coming from Idah, Ankpa, Dekina, Ofu, Bassa, Omala, Olamaboro, Ibaji and Igalamela is clear. Echocho is destined to return to the Senate for the third time.
You cannot fight destiny when the evidence is speaking for itself. In his first two terms, Senator Echocho did not travel to Abuja to warm a seat or to collect allowances. He went to work. He took the cries of Kogi East to the floor of the Senate. Through bills, motions and debates, he forced the nation to pay attention to our federal roads, our schools, our hospitals and our security challenges.
More than speeches, he chose action. Thousands of our youths and women have been lifted through skills acquisition, grants and appointments. He did not concentrate development in one corner. He spread it across Kogi East because he understands that leadership is not tribal, it is territorial.
Walk through our communities today and you will see his footprints. Solar street lights that now give our people light at night. Water projects that have ended years of suffering. Classrooms where our children now learn in dignity. Health centers where our mothers can access care. From Ankpa to Ibaji, from Dekina to Igalamela, the projects are there. Enemies can hold meetings in darkness, but they cannot hide what the people can see with their own eyes.
Let us be honest about what is happening. There is a cabal that believes Kogi East and particularly Igala land, should not be allowed to produce a third-term senator with strength and independent voice. They prefer leaders who will be rubber stamps. They prefer a politics of “by all means” instead of a politics of “by the people.”
They thought propaganda would finish Echocho. They thought money would buy the loyalty of our people. They thought division would break us. But they forgot one thing: Igala people have memory. We remember those who stood with us when it was not convenient. We remember who became the system for us when government was too slow. When institutions failed, Echocho’s foundation delivered. When others were busy making noise, he was busy making impact. What God has anointed, no man can kill.
The Senate is not a place to go and start learning. It is a place of strategy, of relationships, of seniority. Kogi East cannot afford to go back to square one. We need a man who already knows the corridors of power, a man who can walk in from day one and bring federal presence home.
A third term for Echocho is not about him. It is about us. Seniority will give us committee chairmanships and direct influence over national budgets. Continuity will ensure that the projects he started are protected and completed. Voice will ensure that Kogi East has a strong representative at the table where Nigeria’s laws and resources are shared. This is not ambition. This is assignment. This is responsibility.
If you doubt this, go to the market in Idah and listen to the traders. Walk the streets of Ankpa and ask the youths. Sit with the elders in Anyigba. Enter the riverine areas of Ibaji. Speak to the women in Dekina and the students in Olamaboro. You will hear the same answer everywhere: Echocho must return.
Not because he is claiming to be perfect, but because he is ours. Because in a time when many are playing politics, he has chosen to serve. Because he has shown us twice that he understands what representation truly means.
The enemies within may meet a hundred times. The failed system may write a thousand articles. But on election day, the ballot is secret and the people are sovereign. And God, who sees the heart of men, will confirm what the people have already decided.
Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho is not going to the Senate because someone gave him permission. He is going because the people are sending him. He is going because Kogi East has unfinished business that requires experience, courage and commitment. He is going because destiny does not wait for conspirators to approve it.
The third term is not a reward. It is a responsibility. And Echocho has proven over two terms that he does not waste responsibility.
So let the noise continue. Let the plots continue.
Kogi East has spoken. Echocho is destined to go to the Senate for the third time.
Umar Isah (Radical) writes.
