A SOLEMN CALL AND ADVICE BY UKOMU IGALA ORGANIZATION TO ALL KOGI EAST SONS AND DAUGHTERS

A SOLEMN CALL AND ADVICE BY UKOMU IGALA ORGANIZATION TO ALL KOGI EAST SONS AND DAUGHTERS

The Leadership of Ukomu Igala Organization (UIO) Worldwide extends its warm greetings and best wishes to all Igala sons and daughters wherever they be found. May God’s favour and the blessings of our ancestors be with us now and always. Aché!

Please permit me to use this medium to remind and advise us as a race about some crucial issues that deserve our collective attention and actions as we march forward toward the 2027 general elections.

On Political Freedom, Unity, Dignity, and Our Collective Bargaining Power.

Fellow Kogi East sons and daughters!
For over a year, the leadership of Ukomu Igala alongside some dedicated sons and daughters of Kogi East have been doing the quiet and heavy lifting; bridging divides, rebuilding trust, and restoring the pride, dignity, and political authority that define us as a people.

We cannot therefore invest so much into uniting our house, only to let shortsighted partisan friction tear down the walls we are rebuilding painstakingly.

Consequently, as the road to 2027 opens before us, we must set a firm, intelligent and decisive standard on how political business should be conducted in Kogi East as follows:

1 Political Freedom is Non-Negotiable.

Every citizen has an absolute constitutional right to belong to, associate with, and vote for any political party of his/her choosing. Similarly, every politician has an equal right to make his/her case freely without let or hindrance. These are constitutionally guaranteed.

Accordingly, these liberties must be exercised without intimidation, threats, harassment, or political thuggery/violence. Therefore, we call on all political leaders and candidates with their supporters across Kogi East to fully respect the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of association.

The recent disturbing incidents of political thuggery and violence that occurred in Ejule, Ofu Local Government Area, must not be allowed to set a dangerous precedence in our State and in our land. Politics in Kogi East must be a contest of superior ideas, proven track records, and vision; not a display of raw criminal force or suppression in any form please. I call on all of us to specifically observe the following carefully:

2 End the Unauthorised Use of Our Collective Name.

Individuals and political groups are entirely free to endorse whichever candidates they prefer. What we cannot and must not do, is to weaponize the collective identity of Kogi East, the Igala nation, or the Bassa people to coat a personal or partisan decision in ethnic legitimacy.
No single actor or faction speaks for the entire Igala nationality without broad and legitimate consultations. We should not surrender our collective leverage or sell us short in exchange for quick political relevance without playing the full board.

3 A Strategic, Data-Driven Process for 2027.

With over one million registered voters, Kogi East is not, and will never be a political pawn in the hands of any body or group. Rather, we are collectively a decisive political force. We deserve to be engaged with every seriousness and respect.

To guarantee that our votes command real development rather than empty promises, a team of non-partisan, highly qualified, and trusted leaders shall in due course systematically evaluate and interrogate the manifestos, track records, and commitments of candidates seeking our endorsement in the forthcoming general elections.

Representatives of presidential candidates shall also be invited to present the proposals of their Principals as they relate to the interests of Igala and Bassa people directly to our team of revered elders please.

This is about moving away from reactionary and divisive politics and stepping into deliberate, high stakes strategic negotiations.

4 The Bottom Line.

We must remember that our political affiliations may differ, but our heritage, dignity, and socio-economic prosperity are inseparably bound together.
Therefore, let us debate fiercely without becoming enemies. Let us demand substance over spectacle. Let us reject thuggery and violence entirely, and force every candidate to earn our trust through track records, character, and credible roadmaps.

Let us all remember that our political affiliations and ideologies may differ. Our choices may differ. But our destiny remains eternally insoluble in the murky waters of partisan politics.

It is only when we remain United, Calculative and Deliberate, that we will take our proper and rightful place.

Thank you for heeding this solemn advice and may God bless us all!

MAJOR GENERAL JAMES ALILU ATAGUBA (rtd) Ph.D
National Leader Ukomu Igala Organization