The Movement for the Emancipation of Kogi State (MEKSTA) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency in Kogi, warning that the state is on the brink of anarchy.
In an open letter released on Thursday, MEKSTA said governance in the North-Central state had broken down under Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, alleging that power was being controlled remotely by his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, and an “illegal governorship tripod” involving the current Accountant-General of the state, Habibat Oyiza Tijani Onumoko.
The group, which had earlier raised alarm in August, claimed that Ododo himself publicly admitted Bello’s word takes precedence over his. It cited a viral video in which newly elected members of the Kogi State House of Assembly were seen paying homage to Bello in Abuja, describing them as “yes men.”
MEKSTA alleged that Onumoko, a civil servant rapidly elevated to Accountant-General in 2024, had become the de facto governor in Lokoja, wielding sweeping influence over commissioners, legislators, and local government chairmen. The group said she had embarked on political tours across several local government areas in recent weeks, an action described by the Kogi Indigenous Progressive Union (KIPU) as “wasteful, coercive and a violation of the Electoral Act.”
Beyond politics, the group pointed to worsening insecurity, citing recent killings of nearly a dozen policemen and vigilantes in Kogi West. It also accused the state government of mismanaging federal allocations to local councils, alleging that chairmen were left with stipends of ₦4 million monthly despite councils receiving between ₦450m and ₦600m.
“The depth of official insensitivity, financial recklessness, and state-enabled lawlessness is dangerously unacceptable,” the statement read. “A desperate situation requires a desperate antidote. Kogi State is ripe for the declaration of emergency rule to stave off imminent holocaust.”
The group warned that Kogi’s strategic location — sharing borders with nine states and the Federal Capital Territory — made its instability a potential national security threat.
The statement was jointly signed by nine prominent stakeholders, including Hon. Obafemi Medaiyese (Yagba), Comrade Joseph Mebatonije (Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu), Alhaji Yusuf Kpareke (Lokoja/Kotonkarfe), and others representing federal constituencies across the state.