Ahead of the 2027 general election, the immediate-past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has relocated to Okene, the headquarters of Kogi Central senatorial district in preparation for the electoral battle ahead.
Bello, who returned home to a massive reception organised by the supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 Kogi Central senatorial election, expressed gratitude for the support.
The homecoming, which attracted a huge crowd across the district, was marked by colourful displays, chants, and enthusiastic supporters who trooped out in large numbers to welcome the former governor and APC senatorial candidate.
Bello, who governed Kogi State from 2016 to 2024, emerged as the APC candidate for the Kogi Central senatorial seat after winning the party’s May 2026 primary.
They enumerated some of the legacy projects of Bello when he governed the state, declaring that the senatorial hopeful is naturally loved by the residents of Kogi State many years after meritoriously completing his two terms in office.
Many stakeholders and residents across Kogi Central who led their constituents to welcome Bello vowed to further demonstrate their gratitude for the “good works” of the former governor by voting for him massively next year.
In his remarks, former Kogi State APC Chairman and Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abdullahi Bello, described the reception as a demonstration of the affection and confidence the people of Kogi Central have for the former governor.
“This is the homecoming of a leader that liberated the whole Ebiraland, and we all trooped out to welcome him. It is not an easy thing. We love him, and we have to demonstrate that,” Abdullahi Bello said.
He declared that the APC structure in Kogi Central was fully prepared for the forthcoming election, stressing that the district remained a stronghold of the party.
“I will not flatter you with words, but obviously, as you can see for yourself, Ebiraland in Kogi Central is the home of the All Progressives Congress. APC is here. APC lives here; and we preach APC,” he said.
According to him, the massive crowd witnessed during the homecoming was not merely a political gathering but an indication of the level of acceptance he said Bello enjoys among the people.
He expressed confidence that APC members and supporters across the five local government areas of Kogi Central would mobilise behind Bello at the polls, saying: “APC is 100 per cent prepared to vote Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello to the Red Chamber next year.”
Bello’s emergence as the APC flag bearer followed a direct primary in which he was declared winner with 72,399 votes across the district.
He said: “The era of using professional influence or advantage, I think, is over. The law will put an end to that when you beat a candidate mercilessly with a very clear margin. Then I think you’ll learn some lessons, and that is going to happen in this election.”
Addressing the overwhelming crowd that welcomed the former governor, the former APC chairman said he was not surprised by the turnout, insisting that Bello’s political appeal cuts across age and gender.
“I am not surprised because Alhaji Bello has done so much to the extent that every Ebira person, both young and old, man and woman, believes so much in him. Even if you hear his name, you just have to join the queue,” he said.
He further claimed that the message of the APC campaign was already resonating with party members and supporters across the district.
The former chairman also linked the reception to what he described as the security situation in Kogi Central during Bello’s tenure as governor, recalling that the area had previously experienced episodes of violence and insecurity.
“Before now, especially 2007 and 2008, this district used to be a battlefield, with burning of houses and killing of innocent people. But the coming of Alhaji Yahaya Bello put an end to all that,” he said.
Responding, the former governor expressed happiness at the show of love by his people, describing the massive crowd that came to honour him as “organic” and proof that the sense of appreciation of the people of the state, especially in Kogi Central, is “inborn.”
Addressing journalists at the palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebira Land, Bello emphatically stated that all APC candidates for the 2027 general election would emerge victorious at the polls, saying: “I have never doubted that my people are with me and supporting the APC 100 percent. I have never doubted that my people will support and vote for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 100 percent, and I have never doubted that my people are with my governor, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo 100 percent.”
“I have never doubted that my people are going to vote for me as the senator representing Kogi Central and all of our other candidates on the platform of the APC because they know very well what this party has done to liberate our people and bring infrastructure to the people and ensure that the dividend of democracy is
delivered to our people and still being delivered to our people,” Bello pointed out.
Last Friday’s homecoming, according to stakeholders, provided a striking display of the mobilisation surrounding the former governor, with supporters turning out in large numbers to receive him as he formally reconnects with his political base ahead of the 2027 National Assembly election.