By David Lawani
As Nigeria edges closer to the 2027 general elections, governance is steadily replacing rhetoric as the dominant political currency.
Across the country, governments are increasingly showcasing infrastructure projects as evidence of performance and a basis for seeking renewed electoral mandates.
Kogi State has emerged as one of the platforms where that strategy is playing out most visibly. Over three days, the Renewed Hope Ambassadors and the Presidential Media Team toured federal and state projects across the state.
The inspection went beyond showcasing completed and ongoing projects. It became a political statement linking infrastructure delivery with public confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s administration and Governor Usman Ododo’s government.
From Kogi East through Kogi West and Kogi Central, political leaders consistently argued that visible development should naturally translate into electoral support in 2027.
The repeated message was clear: roads, schools, hospitals and erosion control projects have become the APC’s strongest campaign assets as political activities gradually gather momentum.
The strongest endorsements came from Kogi East, where community leaders and political office holders praised both President Tinubu and Governor Ododo for what they described as unprecedented infrastructural development.
Their commendation followed the inspection of a 12-kilometre internal road with a 24-kilometre dual drainage network in Ankpa Local Government Area.
The project forms part of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Semi-Arid Landscapes (ACReSAL) programme, supported by the World Bank to tackle erosion, reclaim degraded land and improve agricultural productivity.
For residents, the project represents far more than a road.
Years of devastating erosion had destroyed homes, threatened livelihoods and cut off economic activities in several communities.
The intervention has changed that narrative by restoring access roads, reclaiming land and reducing environmental degradation.
Chairman of Ankpa Local Government Area, Alhaji Ademu Muhammed Yahaya, described the intervention as the biggest government project ever undertaken in the council.
He noted that despite the area’s long history, no previous administration had executed a project of similar scale or impact.
“We cannot thank the Governor and President Bola Tinubu enough. We will show our appreciation fully during the polls,” Yahaya said.
His remarks reflected a recurring sentiment throughout the inspection—that development has become the APC’s principal political selling point ahead of the next elections.
Providing further insight into the project, Commissioner for Environment and Ecological Management, Engr. Joseph Oluwasegun, explained that the intervention combined erosion control, environmental restoration and agricultural development.
According to him, Governor Ododo’s prompt payment of counterpart funding enabled Kogi to access World Bank resources needed to execute similar projects across the state.
“Governor Ododo is one of the governors that do not default in the provision of counterpart funds,” Oluwasegun said.
The commissioner disclosed that the programme has also delivered significant economic benefits beyond physical infrastructure.
He said more than two million dollars had been disbursed through micro-credit schemes to cooperative societies and rural farmers.
According to him, the intervention has reduced poverty, expanded agricultural production and improved livelihoods across benefiting communities.
Oluwasegun described the programme as fulfilment of Governor Ododo’s campaign promise to communities battling environmental degradation.
He added that similar projects were underway across the state’s three senatorial districts because of their social and economic impact.
Community leaders insist the transformation has been profound.
Secretary of Olubojo Community, Elder Yahaya Samuel, said years of hardship caused by erosion and impassable roads had given way to renewed economic activities.
The inspection team also visited Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba.
There, it assessed the newly completed College of Health Sciences building and the university’s Senate Building funded through TETFund interventions.
Attention also shifted to the ongoing 60-kilometre Iyale–Ogane–Enugu Road in Dekina Local Government Area.
Commissioner for Agriculture Timothy Ojoma described the road as vital to opening rural farming communities, boosting agricultural production and improving commerce across Kogi East.
Together, the projects illustrate a coordinated investment in transportation, agriculture, education and environmental sustainability.
They also reinforce the APC’s argument that governance should be measured by visible improvements in citizens’ daily lives rather than political promises alone.
From Kogi East, the inspection team moved to Kogi West, where attention shifted to federal infrastructure projects that government officials say are reshaping communities and strengthening confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
At Gbede in Yagba West Local Government Area, the delegation inspected a 15-kilometre asphalted road network, complete with drainage and a newly constructed Primary Health Centre.
The team also assessed the ongoing reconstruction of the Kabba–Egbe–Omuaran–Ilorin Road, a strategic federal highway abandoned for more than three decades before work resumed under the current administration.
For residents and political leaders, the road symbolises renewed federal attention to a corridor considered critical to commerce and regional connectivity.
Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said the projects demonstrate the impact of President Tinubu’s reforms on state development.
According to him, increased allocations to sub-national governments have enabled governors to embark on projects that directly improve citizens’ lives.
“Come January 2027, they will show their appreciation at the polls by voting for President Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress at all levels,” Fanwo said.
His remarks underscored the ruling party’s growing argument that difficult economic reforms are beginning to yield measurable dividends through infrastructure and public investments.
Leading the inspection, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Chief Sunday Dare, said the projects reflected the practical implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He maintained that infrastructure development remains central to the Tinubu administration’s economic recovery strategy because of its multiplier effect on commerce, agriculture, manufacturing and industrial growth.
“The importance of roads, whether internal or federal roads, is massive. These are very critical infrastructural developments,” Dare said.
He explained that reconnecting strategic road corridors would ease the movement of goods, lower transportation costs and stimulate economic activities across the country.
Dare cited the reconstruction of the Kabba–Ilorin Road as evidence that the Federal Government was addressing longstanding infrastructure deficits neglected by previous administrations.
Beyond transportation, he said the Renewed Hope Agenda is equally visible in healthcare, education, manufacturing and agriculture.
“Over 1,000 Primary Health Centres have been reinvigorated across this country. We can see that the Renewed Hope Agenda is well and alive in health, education, infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and oil and gas,” he added.
The inspection continued in Okene, where the delegation toured newly constructed concrete roads, bridges and erosion control projects executed by the Kogi State Government.
Members also visited the International Market in Lokoja, a 16-hectare commercial hub under construction, as well as the Federal Teaching Hospital in the state capital.
Both projects are expected to stimulate commerce, improve healthcare delivery and generate employment upon completion.
Commissioner for Works, Barrister Deedat, attributed the pace of development to Governor Ododo’s commitment to grassroots infrastructure.
He expressed confidence that Kogi residents would reward both the governor and President Tinubu with overwhelming support in the next general elections.
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement, Fredrick Nwabufo, also defended the administration’s infrastructure-driven approach.
He argued that road construction remains one of the fastest ways to unlock economic opportunities because it supports agriculture, manufacturing, trade and investment simultaneously.
Beyond the ceremonies and political endorsements, the Kogi inspection reflects a broader national strategy likely to dominate the 2027 election campaign.
Across Nigeria, incumbents are increasingly relying on visible infrastructure as proof of performance, hoping completed projects will carry greater electoral weight than campaign promises.
For the APC, Kogi offers a practical example of that strategy.
The party believes roads, schools, hospitals and environmental projects provide compelling evidence that governance is delivering measurable benefits to ordinary citizens.
Yet the ultimate verdict rests with voters.
Infrastructure may influence public opinion, but several factors, including economic realities, security, employment and living standards, shape electoral decisions.
Whether the APC’s infrastructure campaign translates into votes will become clear only when Nigerians head to the polls in 2027.
For now, however, the ruling party appears convinced that visible development provides its strongest political message.
As campaigns gradually take shape, Kogi has positioned itself as one of the states where infrastructure is no longer merely a development agenda. It has become a defining political narrative, and perhaps one of the APC’s strongest arguments in its quest to retain power beyond 2027
