The Media Team of the member representing Kabba-Bunu Ijumu Federal Constituency, Arc. Salman Idris has responded to a recent statement credited to the former Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly, Matthew Kolawole who vowed to oust the Performing Lawmaker.
But the Media Team in a Statement obtained by Newsmen in Lokoja, said the former Speaker is still suffering from 2023 Election defeat.
See full statement below
Since the conclusion of the 2023 Kabba-Bunu-Ijumu Federal Constituency election, a peculiar shadow has hung over the political landscape—not the shadow of the victor, but the lingering, bitter silhouette of the defeated.
Matthew Kolawole, the former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, remains trapped in a self-perpetuating cycle of denial. Having shouted himself hoarse over a “stolen mandate” that never existed outside of his inner circle, he continues to lead a chorus of grievances that rings increasingly hollow to an electorate that has moved on.
As a new election cycle approaches, Kolawole has once again signaled his intentions to contest. While the right to seek office is a fundamental democratic pillar, his strategy of mudslinging to score cheap political points has become a wearying spectacle for the constituents. It remains a profound irony that a man who currently lacks the political weight to influence the present is so deeply committed to the tantrums of the past.
In his persistent state of delusion, Kolawole has attempted to pivot his narrative, framing himself as a “man of the people.” However, his recent attacks on the incumbent, Hon. Arc. Salman Idris, has exposed a glaring lack of self-awareness.
The height of this political mischief was reached when Kolawole questioned the compassion of Hon. Idris. Records show a stark contrast in their recent activities: while Kolawole was reportedly on an extended vacation until after the Christmas festivities, Hon. Salman Idris was in Morocco, representing the Speaker of the House of Representatives on matters of national importance.
To label such high-level service and national representation as a “lack of compassion” is more than just intellectually dishonest; it is the desperate act of a political lightweight struggling to remain relevant. Kolawole’s hallucinations appear to prevent him from acknowledging a simple reality: no amount of disparagement can overshadow the tangible achievements being recorded by the incumbent.
Perhaps the greatest hurdle to Kolawole’s ambition is his own track record. For a man renowned for unfulfilled promises—most notably a much-publicized skill acquisition program during his tenure as Speaker that left countless beneficiaries stranded without startup capital—his critiques of others are both laughable and pitiable.
In a bizarre shift, his “stolen mandate” narrative has recently morphed into a claim that the mandate was handed over on a “platter of gold.” This shifting rhetoric signals a mind deeply at odds with the truth and a candidate struggling to find a footing in a reality where performance, not propaganda, is the currency of the realm.
Authentic grassroots support is not earned through bitter rhetoric; it is proven at the polls. Having failed to deliver in a lower capacity, Kolawole’s expectation to be “promoted” to a higher office by the same people he disappointed is, at best, optimistic and, at worst, pathetic.
The ancient wisdom “once bitten, twice shy” suggests that the electorate will treat his new advances with extreme caution. Like a compulsive gambler ignoring the house odds, Kolawole continues to ignore the wisdom of the people.
While his political pain is understandable, mourning a loss for three years with such corrosive bitterness is ultimately self-destructive. As the 2027 race begins to take shape, Matthew Kolawole must eventually accept the ultimate political truth: power belongs to God, and He bestows it upon those who serve, not those who merely scream.
