Pastor Ajileye Urges Tajudeen Yusuf to Respect Kogi West Senate Rotation

By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Pastor Stanley Ajileye, has appealed to Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf to reconsider his reported aspiration for the Senate, urging him to respect the existing rotational arrangement among the constituencies in Kogi West.

Ajileye made the appeal in an open letter addressed to Yusuf, whom he described as a friend, brother and one of his “unrepentant supporters.”

He recalled that he had supported Yusuf throughout his 12 years in the House of Representatives because he believed in equity, fairness and the political arrangement that guided the people of Okun land.

According to him, many people in Ijumu Local Government Area had consciously supported Yusuf’s aspiration to the House of Representatives because they understood that the federal constituency could not reasonably occupy both the House of Representatives and Senate seats at the same time.

“We made that sacrifice because we believed in Okun equity. We believed in rotation. We believed that political power, like every other resource, must be shared fairly among the component parts of our district,” he said.

Ajileye said Yusuf’s current aspiration had therefore become difficult for him to reconcile with the principles upon which many people supported him in the past.

He questioned the urgency behind Yusuf’s reported Senate ambition, noting that the former federal lawmaker left the National Assembly only about three years ago.

The pastor argued that political arrangements established through years of consultation and sacrifice should not be disrupted merely because political circumstances had changed.

He noted that Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency had dominated the Senate for 16 consecutive years, adding that the people had accepted the principle of rotation in the hope that other constituencies would eventually have their turn.

“By the grace of God, that moment has now come. The Senate has moved to Yagba,” he said.

Ajileye therefore appealed to Yusuf and other political actors to allow Yagba to enjoy its turn, preferably for two terms, before the Senate seat rotates again.

He added that, after Yagba, the seat should naturally move to Lokoja/Kogi Koton Karfe Federal Constituency, which he described as an integral part of the larger Kogi West political family and a constituency that had patiently waited for another opportunity since the tenure of former Senator Tunde Ogbeha.

The APC chieftain stressed that his position was not intended to deny Yusuf his constitutional right to contest an election.
Rather, he said, the issue was whether what was legally permissible was also politically right, morally fair and socially desirable.

“You have every right to aspire to the Senate. But as leaders, we must sometimes look beyond what we can personally obtain and ask what will preserve the unity, trust and political stability of our people,” he said.

Ajileye, who noted that Yusuf was a Christian, also appealed to the former lawmaker to consider the biblical principles of order, fairness and treating others as one would wish to be treated.

He said he could not personally mobilise support for an arrangement he believed was inequitable, stressing that his position was borne out of friendship rather than hostility.

“There are insinuations in some quarters that your current aspiration may have received encouragement from individuals who are apprehensive about the political strength of Distinguished Senator Sunday Steve Karimi, particularly because of his outspoken advocacy for the interests of Kogi West,” he said.

Ajileye, however, said he had deliberately refused to believe such claims about Yusuf, insisting that he continued to regard him as a man of integrity who would not allow himself to be used as a political instrument against another Okun son.

He nevertheless warned against political forces allegedly seeking to divide the people of Kogi West, asking who would ultimately benefit if the various constituencies turned against one another.

“Who benefits if Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu fights Yagba, Yagba fights Lokoja/Kogi Koton Karfe, and one Okun brother is encouraged to destroy the political prospects of another?” he asked.

The pastor further appealed to Yusuf to consider other political opportunities, including the 2027 governorship election, rather than entering into what he described as a potentially divisive Senate contest.

He urged the former lawmaker not to allow temporary political calculations to jeopardise the legacy he had built over decades.

“There is still time. It is not too late to rethink this,” Ajileye said, urging Yusuf to consult widely, listen to traditional and political elders, consider the feelings of the various constituencies and place the larger interest of Okun land above individual ambition.

He said history would judge leaders not only by the offices they occupied but also by the decisions they made when personal ambition came face-to-face with the interests of their people.

Ajileye concluded by appealing to Yusuf to allow the current rotational arrangement to run its course.

“Let Yagba have its turn. Let Lokoja/Kogi Koton Karfe wait for its turn. Let the political order remain intact,” he said.

He described his intervention as an act of friendship, brotherhood and commitment to equity, stressing that friendship should not mean silence and support should not mean abandoning principle.

“Sometimes, the greatest support a friend can give you is the courage to tell you what you may not want to hear,” Ajileye said.