By Joy Salami
The Confluence Unity Movement, a political pressure group in Kogi State, has unveiled the “Native Boy Movement,” a state-wide campaign structure committed to securing a second term for Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo in the gubernatorial election.
Unveiling the structure at a reception in Lokoja, the Chairman of the Confluence Unity Movement, Hon Okuji Iliyasu, said the movement would seek the support of “all and sundry” to ensure the continuity of Ododo’s administration beyond 2027, pledging the group’s backing for every policy and programme geared towards peace, good governance and grassroots development in the state.
Iliyasu explained that the movement was founded on the ideals of unity, peace, inclusion and collective progress, drawing a parallel between Kogi State’s identity as the confluence of the Rivers Niger and Benue and the need for the state’s diverse ethnic and political interests to converge around a common destiny.

The reception, held at the Deeza Sport Centre, Lokoja, doubled as an event to honour four personalities recently appointed or elected into strategic leadership positions across the state: the newly elected Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State, Engr Ezzu Aliyu Momoh; the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Abdullahi Bello (Dollar); the Vice Chancellor of Prince Abubakar Audu University, Anyigba, Prof Usman Ogbo; and the Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, Prof Salihu Sanusi Avidime.

Iliyasu congratulated Momoh on his emergence as APC chairman, describing it as a testimony of the confidence reposed in his leadership and thanked Bello for facilitating a meeting between him and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, calling the gesture one of the memorable moments in his public life.
Addressing the appointments of Ogbo and Avidime, Iliyasu charged both academics to build on the public expectations already raised by their track records, stressing that universities and polytechnics shape the minds that shape the nation’s future.

Also speaking at the event, Avidime and the Chairman of the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service (KGIRS), Dr Sule Enehe, commended the Confluence Unity Movement for the initiative and pledged their continued commitment to advancing development, good governance and institutional growth across the state.
