There is a dangerous habit in Nigerian politics that we must confront: the tendency to confuse political ambition with capacity, noise with performance and novelty with competence. Every election cycle, politicians emerge from nowhere, suddenly speaking passionately about the suffering of the people, suddenly remembering communities they have ignored for years, suddenly presenting themselves as the solution to every problem. Then the campaign ends, the posters disappear and the promises become history.
ANKPA FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY must not make that mistake in 2027.
The coming election should not be a beauty contest. It should not be a contest of who can shout the loudest, print the biggest posters, drive the longest convoy, mobilise the largest crowd or deploy the most sophisticated political machinery. It should be a serious referendum on representation.
And that referendum must begin with one uncomfortable question:
What exactly has Rt Hon. Abdullahi Ibrahim Halims done wrong that makes replacing him more attractive than demanding that he does even more?
That question deserves an honest answer.
If there is a candidate who can demonstrate that he or she has a stronger record, a clearer programme, greater legislative capacity, deeper understanding of Ankpa Federal Constituency and a more convincing plan for taking the constituency forward, then let that candidate come forward. Let the people compare records. Let the people compare capacity. Let the people decide.
But what Ankpa Federal Constituency must reject is the politics of replacing an incumbent simply because somebody else wants the seat or because you feel he has stayed there for too long.
A National Assembly seat is not a political trophy.
It is not compensation for ambition.
It belongs to the people.
Since Rt Hon. Halims was given that mandate, he has had the opportunity to experience the realities of federal representation, to understand the workings of the National Assembly, to engage ministries and agencies and to bring constituency concerns into the legislative space.
That experience has value.
Anyone who dismisses it is either being politically dishonest or does not understand how effective legislative representation works.
The National Assembly is not a place where effectiveness is measured by how frequently a politician appears on social media or how long is your convoy. It is a complicated institution where influence is built through legislative participation, committee work, relationships, persistence, advocacy and the ability to navigate government bureaucracy.
A first-term representative learns.
A second-term representative deliver with the benefit of what has been learned.
A third-term representative consolidates to do more.
That is why the people of Ankpa Federal Constituency must think carefully before throwing away experience.
If Halims first term and second term has shortcomings, tell him.
If there are projects that should have been completed, demand them.
If there are communities that have not received enough attention, demand greater attention.
If constituents believe he should be more accessible, demand greater accessibility.
If his legislative agenda needs strengthening, demand that he strengthens it.
But why should the answer automatically be to remove him?
Why not tell him: You have had your first term. Now prove that the second term or third term can be better than the previous ones.
That is what mature democracy looks like.
There is no perfect politician. Anyone searching for a perfect politician will spend the rest of his life searching. What citizens should search for is a representative who can be assessed, questioned, corrected and challenged—and who has demonstrated enough capacity to deserve another opportunity.
Hon Halims has given Ankpa Federal Constituency something that many challengers do not have: a record that can be examined.
The people can ask where he has been.
They can examine his legislative activities.
They can examine his constituency engagements.
They can examine his empowerment interventions.
They can examine his advocacy on issues affecting Ankpa Federal Constituency, Igala land and Kogi State at large.
They can examine his attention to education, youth, women, infrastructure and community development.
They can ask whether he has been accessible.
They can ask whether his office responds to constituents.
They can ask whether he has been visible.
They can ask whether he has done enough.
And after asking all these questions, they can decide.
That is the beauty of democracy.
But what should not happen is for people who have done little or nothing for the constituency to suddenly arrive in 2027 with sudden humanitarian gestures and telling the people that the man who has already been representing them should be removed simply because they have now discovered politics or because House of Reps election is not movie (Netflix) that will have season I, Season II and Seasons III.
Ankpa Federal Constituency is not a laboratory for political experimentation. We need experienced legislators.
It is home to millions of hopes and aspirations.
Every political decision affects real people.
It affects the student struggling to remain in school.
It affects the young graduate looking for an opportunity.
It affects the woman trying to keep her small business alive.
It affects the farmer struggling with transportation and infrastructure.
It affects the trader battling economic hardship.
It affects indigenous communities facing the consequences of rapid urbanisation.
It affects families waiting for better healthcare, education and infrastructure.
These people cannot eat political slogans.
They cannot build their businesses with campaign posters.
They cannot send their children to school with empty promises.
They need representation that works.
And that is why the debate about Hon Halims return must be based on performance and not sentiment or be removed because he has stayed for too long.
Those seeking to replace him must answer the most important question of all:
What exactly are you offering that is demonstrably better?
Not what you will do.
We have heard what politicians will do for decades.
Tell us what you have done.
Tell us what you understand.
Tell us what you can realistically deliver.
Tell us why the people should abandon an experienced representative and give the mandate to you.
And please, do not insult the intelligence of the electorate by assuming that because you have money, connections or a powerful political godfather, the people owe you their votes.
They owe nobody their votes.
Their votes belong to them.
The people of Ankpa Federal Constituency must make the decision.
And when they do, they must make it based on evidence.
Another issue that must be confronted is the obsession with political parties. Parties matter, certainly. Political platforms matter. Ideology and policy direction matter. But political parties are not the constituency.
The constituency is the constituency.
The people are the people.
Political platforms may change. Political alliances may collapse. Politicians may move from one party to another. But the problems facing Ankpa Federal Constituency do not change because a politician changes party.
The road remains bad.
The school remains underfunded.
The young person remains unemployed.
The trader remains in business.
The farmer remains on the farm.
The community remains in need of infrastructure.
The indigenous family remains concerned about land and development.
Therefore, while voters should absolutely scrutinise Hon Halims political decisions, they must not allow party politics to erase the larger question of representation.
Who is actually working for us?
That should be the question.
Hon Halims legislative engagement on issues affecting the Ankpa Federal Constituency including the pressures created by rapid urbanisation, infrastructure deficits and concerns of indigenous communities, is particularly important because these are issues that will become even more significant in future.
Ankpa Federal Constituency, as one of the most important constituencies within Kogi State, needs a representative who understands that development is not simply about building houses and roads.
Development must include people.
It must include education.
It must include economic opportunity.
It must include healthcare.
It must include social protection.
It must include youth empowerment.
It must include women.
And it must include indigenous communities.
A representative who brings these issues into the national conversation should be encouraged to do more.
This is not an argument for blind support.
It is an argument for earned continuity.
And earned continuity comes with conditions.
If Hon Halims returns in 2027, he must understand that the third term cannot be a repeat of the first and second. The standard must be higher.
The people should demand measurable targets.
They should demand regular engagement.
They should demand transparency.
They should demand more constituency interventions.
They should demand more educational support.
They should demand more youth and women empowerment.
They should demand more rural development.
They should demand stronger advocacy.
They should demand that Ankpa Federal Constituency receives the attention it deserves.
And if he fails to meet those expectations, the people will have every right to judge him accordingly.
But let us not pretend that changing representatives automatically produces development.
Sometimes it does.
Sometimes it does not.
The name on the ballot is not the solution.
Capacity is the solution.
Competence is the solution.
Commitment is the solution.
Experience is an advantage.
And if the incumbent possesses those qualities in sufficient measure, then the people should not be pressured into abandoning him merely because another politician wants his seat.
There is another uncomfortable truth that must be said: some politicians are more interested in becoming representatives than in actually representing people.
They want the title.
They want the convoy.
They want the influence.
They want the political relevance.
They want the access.
But representation is not glamour.
It is responsibility.
It means being accountable when things go wrong.
It means answering difficult questions.
It means listening to angry constituents.
It means pursuing government officials.
It means attending to people who may have nothing to offer you politically.
It means carrying the weight of thousands of expectations.
The people should therefore look beyond the campaign spectacle.
They should ask who is prepared to carry that responsibility.
And if the answer remains Rt Hon Halims, then the people should not hesitate to return him.
The argument for Hon Halims in 2027 should therefore not be that he is entitled to another term.
He is not.
The argument should be that he has earned the right to be considered seriously for another term.
There is a profound difference.
An entitlement says: “Vote for me because I am already here.”
A record says: “Examine what I have done and decide whether I deserve to continue.”
That is the standard Hon Halims should be willing to face.
And that is the standard his challengers should also face.
No shortcuts.
No intimidation.
No politics of hatred.
No manipulation.
No character assassination.
No buying of conscience.
Just records.
Just capacity.
Just ideas.
Just performance.
Let every candidate come.
Let every candidate speak.
Let every candidate present a programme.
Then let the people compare.
If someone is better, let the people choose that person.
But if Hon Halims record, experience and capacity remain stronger after that comparison, then Ankpa Federal Constituency should have the courage to say:
We are not changing simply for the sake of changing.
We are continuing because we believe continuity will produce better results.
That is not political weakness.
It is political maturity.
We deserve a representative who will wake up every morning knowing that the people are watching.
We deserve someone who can say: “Judge me by my work.”
That is the challenge Rt Hon Halims must accept.
And if he accepts it, then 2027 should be about taking the work further.
Let the first term be the foundation.
Let the second term be the construction.
Let the third be of more finishing and service delivery.
Let the people be the beneficiaries.
And let history judge the outcome.
To those already positioning themselves to take the seat from Hon Halims, the message is simple:
Come with your record.
Come with your programme.
Come with your evidence.
Come with your capacity.
Come with your plan.
Do not simply come with ambition.
Because Ankpa Federal Constituency does not owe anyone a political career.
The people owe themselves competent representation.
And if, after all the arguments, comparisons and scrutiny, the people conclude that Hon. Halims remains the person best positioned to represent them, then there should be no apology for returning him.
The ballot box is not a punishment centre.
It is not a revolving door.
It is an instrument through which citizens choose the person they believe can best represent their interests.
In 2027, Ankpa Federal Constituency should therefore refuse to be distracted.
Do not be deceived by noise.
Do not be hypnotised by money.
Do not be intimidated by political machinery.
Do not confuse popularity with competence.
Do not confuse a new face with a new solution.
Look at the record.
Look at the experience.
Look at the capacity.
Look at the work.
Then decide.
And if that honest assessment leads the people back to Hon. Halims, then let the mandate be given with one clear instruction:
“Go back to the National Assembly. Represent us better. Work harder. Reach more people. Deliver more. And never forget that the seat belongs to the people.”
That is the kind of mandate worth fighting for.
That is the kind of mandate worth earning.
And that is why, if the people believe his record has earned their confidence, Ankpa Federal Constituency should return Hon. Halims in 2027—not because he is entitled to another term, but because the people deserve to build on experience rather than repeatedly start from zero.
2027 should not be about who wants Hon Halims seat.
It should be about who deserves the people’s trust.
And if Hon Halims has earned that trust, then let Ankpa, Omala & Olamaboro speak with one voice:
RT HON HALIMS — RETURN AND DO MORE.
The people are watching. The people will judge. The people will decide.
#HALIMS4MOREYEARS
