30/03/2026
THE NASARAWA PRECEDENT: WHY 2027 IS KOGI WEST’S MOMENT
By Adams Yusuf
When Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, publicly advocated zoning the governorship to Nasarawa West Senatorial Zone, he was not merely addressing a state-specific issue. He was affirming a broader political principle—one that speaks directly to equity, timing and strategic action within Nigeria’s democratic framework.
His position was clear: a zone that has experienced prolonged exclusion from executive power deserves consideration in the current political cycle, not in some distant future. That is the essence of rotational balance. That is the logic of political inclusion.
Zoning, in this context, functions as a political instrument for balancing fairness with power. By rotating the ticket to a long-neglected zone, leadership signals inclusion and reduces the risk of deepening regional resentment. When paired with direct primaries, it extends legitimacy by allowing broader participation within that zone. Ultimately, it reflects a negotiated equilibrium between equity and influence, between who ought to be considered and who is sufficiently positioned to secure power.
Governor Sule’s stance deserves commendation. By advancing zoning grounded in equity and pairing it with a direct primary approach, he has demonstrated a model of leadership that prioritises inclusion, competitiveness and party cohesion. It is a template that strengthens internal democracy while fostering unity across regions.
This principle finds even stronger expression in Kogi State.
Kogi East has held power for 16 years. Kogi Central will have held power for 12 years by 2027, with leadership consistently concentrated within the Okene axis of the district. Kogi West, despite its political weight and contribution to the state, has held power for none. This is not a marginal imbalance. It is a structural gap that has persisted for decades.
The argument for equity, therefore, is not speculative. It is established.
The more critical question is timing.
Some perspectives have suggested that Kogi West should defer its aspiration to 2031. At a glance, this may appear cautious and measured. Yet, upon closer examination, it rests on a fragile assumption—that political opportunity can be preserved in suspension and reclaimed under unchanged conditions.
Political systems do not function that way.
Momentum, once built, must be engaged. Alliances, once formed, evolve. Structures, once activated, either expand through use or decay through dormancy. Time, in politics, is not neutral—it is transformative.
This is why timing is everything.
Governor Sule’s position becomes even more instructive when viewed against Kogi’s reality. If a senatorial zone with 20 years of exclusion justifies immediate consideration in Nasarawa, then Kogi West’s 34-year absence from executive power presents an even stronger case.
This is a region not lacking in capacity, competence or contribution. It is home to a deep reservoir of accomplished professionals, legal minds and public servants who have consistently shaped both state and national development. The question, therefore, is not readiness. It is recognition.
Equity delayed at this level is not caution, it is the continuation of imbalance.
Governor Sule’s approach sends a broader message to the All Progressives Congress: that unity is best achieved when fairness is not postponed. As the party continues to consolidate its national strength, the same principle applied in Nasarawa provides a clear pathway for resolving similar questions in other states, including Kogi.
In Kogi, that alignment is increasingly visible.
Distinguished Senator Sunday Steve Karimi’s positioning reflects a convergence of factors that rarely present themselves simultaneously. His engagement within the APC’s national structure, his deliberate outreach across Kogi East and West, and his growing grassroots activation point to a strategy grounded in immediacy rather than postponement.
These are not permanent conditions. They are time-sensitive advantages.
With Kogi East holding 9 Local Government Areas, West 7, and Central 5, electoral success depends on alignment. No region can secure victory in isolation. Senator Karimi’s consistent emphasis on inter-zonal cooperation reflects a clear understanding of this arithmetic.
It is within this context that his Kabba Day remarks become particularly instructive:
“Let me tell you, you elected me to represent you. We are reaching out to our people in the East and we are working together. I can tell you confidently: the people in the East, they are ready to work with us.
The ball is in our court. Power is never served; you take power.”
This is not mere rhetoric. It is a concise articulation of political method, organisation, alignment and decisive engagement.
The broader lesson from Nasarawa is not about personalities. It is about principle. When a political system recognises imbalance, and when conditions exist to address it, the rational response is not deferral, but action.
For Kogi West, the indicators are aligned: historical justification, emerging coalition pathways and active engagement within the party’s power structure.
The choice, therefore, is not between ambition and patience. It is between acting within a viable window or deferring to a future that may not present the same conditions.
History consistently favours those who recognise their moment and move with it.
Governor Sule has demonstrated the pathway. Distinguished Senator Sunday Steve Karimi represents its application in Kogi.
For Kogi West, the moment is not theoretical. It is present.
And in politics, such moments do not remain open indefinitely.
— Adams Yusuf, Abuja, Nigeria
For Kogi Equity Alliance
