Aide dismisses no-confidence votes against Kogi West senator
An aide to the senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi, has dismissed recent votes of no confidence passed on the lawmaker by some All Progressives Congress (APC) local government executives in the district. In a statement issued on Thursday, the aide, Temidayo Ake, alleged that the votes were sponsored by individuals opposed to both the […]
An aide to the senator representing Kogi West, Sunday Karimi, has dismissed recent votes of no confidence passed on the lawmaker by some All Progressives Congress (APC) local government executives in the district.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the aide, Temidayo Ake, alleged that the votes were sponsored by individuals opposed to both the senator and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s political interests in Kogi State.
He further claimed that the party officials involved did not reflect the views of the wider Kogi West electorate.
“The Vote of No Confidence is paid for, by the detractors of Senator Karimi Sunday and persons who clandestinely are opposed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu victory in Kogi State. As such they speak not for the people of Kogi West, but those who have enthroned them with the seat of Local Government and Ward Executives,” the statement read.
Ake attributed the development to the senator’s advocacy for a shift in governorship power to Kogi West, describing the agitation as a long-standing demand of the district.
According to him, Kogi East and Kogi Central have dominated the governorship position since 1999, leaving Kogi West yet to produce a governor.
“The sin of Senator Karimi Sunday is his audacity to lead the agitation for the rotation of power to Kogi West Senatorial District last year in Kabba. This call for power shift to Kogi West Senatorial District is the yearnings, wishes, dream and supplications of majority indigienes of the Senatorial District.
“Therefore when Senator Karimi spoke, he spoke and called for Power Rotation/Shift to Kogi West, he choroused the will, intentions, expectation and supplications of the good people of Kogi West. A people excluded from governing their State for decades,” he said.
The aide maintained that the senator remains popular in the district, citing his margin of victory in the 2023 senatorial election as well as his legislative record and constituency projects.
He added that the lawmaker’s programmes, including bursaries and infrastructure initiatives, have also benefited other parts of the state.
Ake questioned the basis for the no-confidence votes, insisting that advocacy for power rotation should not be grounds for political opposition.