Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The crisis enveloping the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State deepened on Thursday as the party’s Odu Ward 2 Executive Committee in Dekina Local Government Area suspended Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho, who represents Kogi East Senatorial District, over allegations of protracted anti‑party activities, hobnobbing with opposition figures, and an alleged scheme to actualise a “self‑serving third‑term agenda”. The suspension, which was announced via a letter dated 26 May 2026, was signed by the Ward Chairman, Shaibu Mohammed, and the Secretary, Kabiru Mohammed, along with other executive members.
According to the ward executives, Senator Echocho has been engaging in “protracted anti‑party activities” that have become harmful to the growth of the APC in the district. The suspension letter accused the lawmaker of holding meetings with opposition political parties and conducting negotiations aimed at defecting from the ruling party after his disappointing performance during the party’s political consultations and internal processes. The ward leaders further alleged that Senator Echocho failed to deliver his own polling unit during the 2019 and 2023 Kogi State governorship elections and did not provide the expected leadership during critical political contests in the state.
The executives accused the senator of pursuing a “self‑serving third‑term agenda” that was rejected by party stakeholders, and claimed that after that rejection, he became openly confrontational to the party. “The senator has been involving himself in anti‑party activities against the constitution of APC by holding series of meetings with opposition political parties, an act unbecoming of the person of the status of his personality in the party,” the letter read. The executives added that the decision to suspend Echocho would serve as a deterrent to other members bent on working against the collective interest of the APC.
Reacting to the development, a prominent APC chieftain in the state, Mallam Nasiru Musa, described the action as timely and necessary to preserve the integrity of the party in Kogi East. “Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho’s activities have become cancerous to the party. For eight years, he served himself and his family while the people suffered neglect and poor representation. We can no longer accommodate a senator who has shown desperation to pull down the house simply because the party and the people rejected his third‑term ambition,” Musa said.
However, the senator’s camp has rejected the suspension, dismissing it as lacking credibility and procedural foundation. In a strongly‑worded rebuttal, his media aide, Mikail Ibrahim, said Senator Echocho won his polling unit and contributed significantly to the party’s electoral success in 2019 and 2023. He argued that the senator’s empowerment programmes – including the recent distribution of vehicles to local government party chairmen, tricycles to stakeholders, and support packages to youth leaders, women groups and party mobilisers – were designed to strengthen party structures and deepen grassroots participation within the APC family. Ibrahim listed projects facilitated by the senator across the senatorial district, including the construction and renovation of schools, establishment of primary healthcare centres, installation of solar‑powered streetlights, and support for community‑based security structures.
In a counter‑offensive, some stakeholders of the APC in Kogi East Senatorial District have filed an official petition with the party’s National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda Goshwe, labelling the suspension “invalid”. The group, which described itself as prominent leaders of the party in the district, accused state officials of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation and forging the consent of local party leadership. In a statement signed by Ibrahim Mohammed, the stakeholders alleged that many of those who attended the meeting where the suspension was purportedly adopted were not authentic ward executives. “Our investigation reveals that many of those who attended the meeting where these signatures were extracted are not even authentic ward executives, let alone chairmen. This is a clear case of impersonation and political desperation taken to its highest level,” the petition read.
The stakeholders warned that attempts to deepen divisions within the party could undermine cohesion in the district and weaken the APC’s political standing ahead of future elections. They called on the national leadership to critically examine all documents connected to the senator’s suspension and to prioritise party unity over “personal vendettas”. The group insisted that Senator Isah’s legislative record and constituency interventions have had visible impact across communities in Kogi East and align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.
The controversy surrounding the suspension is the latest development in a growing internal power struggle within the APC in Kogi East. The district, predominantly Igala‑speaking, is one of the most politically strategic zones in Kogi State and has historically played a decisive role in the state’s electoral dynamics. The conflict followed Senator Echocho’s defeat in the APC senatorial primary election, where he lost the party’s ticket to Joseph Erico Ameh.
Attempts to reach Senator Echocho for comment were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report, as repeated calls to his mobile phone went unanswered and he did not respond to text messages.
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