Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo publicly declared Niger Delta leader High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, widely known as Tompolo, his mentor and leader on Monday at the inauguration of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement’s Kogi State structure in Lokoja.
Ododo addressed Tompolo as “my mentor and my leader” and called him a “benefactor,” placing the Niger Delta high chief in a position of personal and political authority over the sitting APC governor. The remarks came before a gathering of political leaders and prominent Niger Delta stakeholders assembled at Muhammadu Buhari Square in the state capital.
Tompolo Donates 25 Vehicles to Kogi Campaign Drive
The occasion drew the remarks from Ododo as Tompolo, the grand patron of the PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, announced the donation of 25 vehicles to the movement’s Kogi State chapter to power grassroots mobilization for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. Tompolo made the announcement through Kestin Pondi, the managing director of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, at the formal inauguration of the movement’s state executives.
Tompolo called on Kogi voters to back Tinubu’s second-term bid, citing the removal of the petrol subsidy, direct allocation of funds to local governments, and electricity deregulation as evidence of the president’s courage. He acknowledged that the reforms had created hardship but maintained that the country would benefit in the long run if citizens remained patient.
Ododo commended the donation but was quick to frame the limits of logistics in electoral contests. “Vehicles do not win elections, but people win elections, conventions win elections, and organizations win elections,” the governor said. He urged the movement’s coordinators to explain government policies to voters, listen to their concerns, and answer questions with facts rather than insults.
Ododo Pledges to Lead Kogi Mobilization Effort
The governor pledged to personally lead the mobilization drive in Kogi State ahead of the 2027 general elections, expressing confidence in Tinubu’s electoral prospects in the state. He listed federal government-backed projects in Kogi, including the proposed Economic City and Free Trade Zone, the Kogi International Airport project, and renewed attention to the Abuja-Lokoja-Benin Expressway.
Ododo also cited the development of universities and primary healthcare centers, road construction, support for farmers, and empowerment programs targeting youths and women. He credited President Tinubu’s support for security operations and efforts to establish state police as key factors behind the relative peace the state currently enjoys.
The event was attended by the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, the Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, High Chief Dennis Otuaro, and other national leaders and dignitaries of the movement.
Tompolo, whose full name is Oweizidei Thomas Ekpemupolo, is a former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta. He currently heads Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, which holds a pipeline surveillance contract with the federal government. His PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, founded as a grassroots platform for Tinubu’s re-election, has been expanding its state structures across the country in the run-up to the 2027 presidential election.
Ododo, a member of the All Progressives Congress, has served as governor of Kogi State since January 2024. Before his election, he served as auditor-general for local governments in the state under his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, whose tenure was marked by allegations of financial mismanagement that Ododo has since sought to distance himself from.
That Ododo now publicly assigns the title of mentor and leader to Tompolo, a prominent Niger Delta figure and former militant leader with no formal Kogi connection, signals a cross-regional political alliance that extends well beyond the state’s borders. Analysts say such alliances are increasingly common as governors look to broaden their national profile and build goodwill ahead of the 2027 campaign season, when shifting loyalties could prove decisive in determining the direction of Nigeria’s political landscape.
