Kogi Commissioner Warns APC: ‘Without Yahaya Bello There’ll Be No Victory in 2027’

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Kogi State Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Bashir Gegu, has warned that the All Progressives Congress could struggle to retain its political strength in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections if former governor Yahaya Bello is sidelined in party affairs. Reports published on October 26 and 28, 2025, attributed the remarks to Gegu during a political gathering in Kogi, where he stressed Bello’s continuing influence within the state’s APC structure.

The commissioner’s position was built around the argument that Bello remains central to the party’s stability and electoral machinery in Kogi. In his view, the former governor’s role in shaping the state’s political direction has not diminished, and any attempt to push him to the margins could create serious problems for the ruling party as 2027 approaches.

According to Gossip News Now, Gegu used the occasion to make a blunt political point: excluding Yahaya Bello from the APC’s strategic calculations in Kogi would be a costly error. His warning suggested that the former governor still commands enough relevance across the state to affect the party’s fortunes in a major way.

He also pushed back against criticism surrounding a recent rally in Lokoja, insisting that the gathering should not be seen as a protest. Instead, he described it as a show of appreciation to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo. A Kogi State Government statement published earlier in October 2025 similarly reported that APC stakeholders in the state had endorsed both Tinubu and Ododo for second terms at an event in Lokoja led by Yahaya Bello.

Even with that clarification, Gegu maintained that the underlying political message should not be ignored. He argued that Bello’s presence remains deeply tied to the APC’s electoral confidence in Kogi and suggested that the party’s success cannot simply be assumed without him. That stance reinforces the wider perception among Bello’s allies that his political network still cuts across the state’s power blocs.

The commissioner further credited the former governor with building the structure that helped the APC maintain cohesion and relevance in Kogi over the years. Bello served as governor of Kogi State before Ahmed Usman Ododo, who has been in office since January 2024, a succession that underscores the former governor’s influence in the state’s recent political history.

Commentary and Analysis

Gegu’s comments are politically significant because they reveal how much of Kogi’s APC still appears to revolve around Yahaya Bello’s personality and network. When a serving commissioner openly suggests that victory may depend on one former governor’s active involvement, it raises questions about how institutionalized the party structure really is.

The statement also hints at an early struggle over relevance and control before the 2027 elections. In many Nigerian states, internal party unity matters just as much as public popularity, and warnings like this often signal fears of cracks forming beneath the surface.

Whether one agrees with Gegu or not, his message points to a larger truth about Kogi politics: influence rarely disappears once power changes hands. If the APC hopes to remain dominant, managing old alliances may prove just as important as building new ones.