What was meant to be a grand show of unity and renewed loyalty for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo has turned into a political storm in Kogi State — revealing widening cracks within the All Progressives Congress (APC) and setting the stage for a potential realignment ahead of the 2027 elections.

The much-publicised “Mother of All Rallies” in Lokoja over the weekend drew thousands of APC supporters but conspicuously lacked the presence of any top-ranking federal or national party official.

Despite weeks of mobilisation, no member of the APC National Working Committee, no sitting governor, and no representative of the Presidency attended. Vice President Kashim Shettima — earlier listed as the special guest, failed to appear or send a delegate.

Insiders say the absence was deliberate. “Unlike endorsement rallies in Lagos or Akwa Ibom that had governors and national figures, this one was a strictly local affair,” said a senior APC source.

“The silence from Abuja sends a message — confidence in the Ododo–Yahaya Bello structure is waning.”

Sources close to the Presidency hint that the APC leadership in Abuja may now be leaning toward the camp of Hon. James Faleke — a trusted ally of President Tinubu and a man whose political story in Kogi remains unfinished.

For many observers, the apparent soft spot for Faleke is not without context.

Faleke was the running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu, who died in November 2015 on the verge of being declared winner of the Kogi governorship election.

In a controversial twist, the APC hierarchy bypassed Faleke and handed the party’s ticket — and Audu’s votes — to Yahaya Bello, who had come second in the primaries.

That decision birthed an enduring political rift that still defines Kogi’s power play.

Now, nearly a decade later, the quiet return of Abuja’s sympathy to Faleke’s corner appears to be reshaping loyalties within the party.

“The same forces that imposed Bello in 2015 may now be correcting that history,” a veteran party strategist observed.

“The Lokoja rally exposed that shift — the federal backing is clearly elsewhere.”

Eyewitnesses reported that a brief altercation between Governor Ododo and his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, at the rally forced some dignitaries to leave abruptly — another sign of growing friction within the state’s political hierarchy.

The fallout has also unsettled plans by former Governor Idris Wada, who was expected to formally defect from the PDP to the APC later this month.

Sources close to the former governor said the lack of national presence at the rally has made Wada “reevaluate the move.”

“The mood from Abuja wasn’t encouraging,” one insider said.

“Wada’s team is reading between the lines — there’s division in Kogi APC, and no one wants to walk into a storm.”

Political watchers believe the delay in Wada’s defection underscores the deepening uncertainty in the party’s internal power structure.

Amid the unease, Senator Sunday Karimi (Kogi West) set off another round of fireworks.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Busayo Tosin, Karimi criticised the Lokoja rally as “unnecessary, premature, and patronising,” arguing that Kogi voters “need no coercion or theatrics to support Tinubu.”

“East, Central, West — the people of Kogi State already believe in President Tinubu. He doesn’t need to be begged or bullied into their hearts,” the senator said.

He described the event as “insensitive” amid current economic hardship, calling it “a self-serving show of desperation by a few anxious politicians.”

Karimi maintained that the best way to support the President was to translate his policies into “food on the table and hope in the streets,” not “stage-managed rallies under the scorching sun.”

His remarks quickly drew fury from all seven APC local government chairmen in Kogi West, who issued a joint statement condemning Karimi as “ungrateful and divisive.”

Reading the statement on behalf of his colleagues, Barr. Zacchaeus Dare Michael, Chairman of Kabba/Bunu LGA, said Karimi had “bitten the hand that fed him.”

“It is regrettable that a man who rose through the APC would turn around to undermine the same leaders who gave him a platform,” the statement said.

“His comments were reckless and aimed at destabilising the party.”

The chairmen insisted that the Lokoja rally reflected “organic grassroots support” for Tinubu and Ododo.

“No one was forced. The people came willingly to show loyalty,” they said.

In a dramatic closing remark, they told Karimi to “hug a transformer” if he found the show of support uncomfortable — before pledging unflinching loyalty to President Tinubu, Governor Ododo, and former Governor Yahaya Bello “now and beyond 2031.”

Analysts believe the unfolding drama marks a turning point for the ruling party in Kogi.

Between the Abuja snub, the Faleke factor, Wada’s hesitation, and the Karimi backlash, the state APC appears to be entering a season of recalibration.

“The rally was meant to showcase unity,” said a political analyst in Lokoja.

“Instead, it exposed the cracks and hinted at a new political realignment — one that could reshape the Kogi APC before 2027.”

For now, the echoes of the rally linger — not for its turnout, but for what it quietly revealed: that in Kogi politics, loyalties are shifting, old wounds are reopening, and the battle for 2027 may already have begun.