PERMIT ME, JUST THIS ONCE, TO TALK ABOUT YAGBA POLITICS. ✍️ Temidayo John Tunde

Yagba politics is a different ball game entirely. To make real impact in this zone  in this part of Kogi West  no be moi moi. It takes more than vision. It takes will. And it takes a stomach for what you’ll meet.

We often say Yagba is blessed  and yes, it is. It’s a pot of wealth, wisdom, culture, and potential. But we have a few big problems: every community loves itself deeply but struggles to love the next. We’re divided not just by towns, but by ego, suspicion, and self-interest. We are brilliant, but we’ve not learned (coalition) to be one.

Politics here isn’t just a game — it's a job for many. I no fit lie give you, about 70% of home-based people  those you'll refer to as the grassroots  see it as a livelihood. People with no political appointment, no office, still shining and whining. Retired men, party elders, and those whose own families may not even vote become foot soldiers and power brokers. You’ll hear things like: “Na me get Isanlu or Ejiba youth for hand. We dey so-so bar, drop money.” or family issues 

Let me tell you a bitter truth: if a candidate or elected official fails to “drop” two or three times, that alone can break his chances — both in the primaries and the general election. Even worse, the rumors that follow him might demand he begs to explain himself to those who were never told the truth.

If you are coming home you must prepare so well for people who will gather you.this is a must oo

All of us want progress deep down. We want a safer Yagba our home of fun, as it used to be back in the days.

We say we want progress, but just like many other Okun sons, everybody believes “it should be me.” Coalitions? We don’t do that well. We don't know how to push a united front for our people first, before ourselves. We chant “Okun Agenda” — but how can the agenda agend?

Online? Ah! Come and see brilliance during campaigns. We write like professors. Publish a piece and under every tree, over a bottle of beer, a particular grammar is being analyzed like a thesis.

“Hunm oyibo, so mo meaning rin?” — and boom, the mockery starts.

Even some without phones will take the tale farther than it was ever written. You know how sweet it can be in Yagba when it’s time to "polish" someone. 🤹🏿‍♂️ "Ghan fon fi!" 🤣

But the real voters? They are not online.

Those who shout “change” from outside often vanish on election day. They don’t even have PVCs. The old men and women at home  the ones who get to the polling unit very early and wait for someone who has been giving him or she money every market day this  people will describe the party logo wey Dem this old folks go press.These mamas and papas that you rarely hear from are the ones who patiently cast their vote. Nothing can take them out of that line from morning till dawn.

Meanwhile, many youths and I say this with love will give you ten reasons not to vote. Until, of course,  big money enters the equation. Then it becomes: “Abeg, na only election day we fit chop politician money.”

We repeat this cycle every four years. We drag leaders, curse politicians, then vote for the same structure again.

And worse still, those online waste energy fighting personalities, instead of forming a unified front to place the right people in the right seats or looking for how to educate ourselves and our people at home.

 Make I clear you: when you attack one, you give the other strength. When the other gets there, he does the same thing  and the cycle continues.

Instead of them versus the bad egg, it becomes them versus them.

Winning in Yagba is not luck. It takes time, money, visibility, and strategic loyalty. Even if it’s just pretending, you must be seen, accessible, and endorsed by men that matter. And trust me, before you even declare, decisions may have been made in backrooms.

Now, let’s be real — Yagba is sitting on a source pot (pun intended). But those who truly have ideas that can transform lives often don’t make it near power.

Let me give you an illustration: someone who holds a position that can better our lives and want to do it will have to starve people who have lived all their lives off politics money  the stakeholders. Progress isn’t instant profit for the power holders. And when you starve the men who “own” the field — the principalities and powers — they will shut the gates on your return.

I’ve seen politics up close, even in the FCT. But Yagba politics? It’s a different beast. It’s not enough to have a good heart. You need structure, sacrifice, thick skin, and wisdom beyond your years.

In the end, what we need is beyond just ambition — we need transformation. But that transformation won’t come until we unite, educate ourselves and others, and begin to value legacy over instant gratification.

We have a long way to go, but it's not too late to start thinking differently.