By Ben Atonko
Sankera stands at a crossroads. The next election is not just about filling a seat. It is about choosing a direction.
In Lawrence Vihimga, the people of Katsina-Ala-Ukum-Logo Federal Constituency have a candidate who combines youthful energy with the wisdom of Methuselah. Age has not made it, experience has made him wise.
From his school days, at Government College Katsina-Ala and College of Education, Katsina-Ala Vihimga demonstrated skills that were marked by a rare trait: leadership that puts collective interest first.
While others chased personal glory, he rallied classmates for common causes.
That same spirit followed him to Benue State University, where he was elected President of the BSU Alumni Association. The position earned him a seat in the Governing Council of the university.
He did not serve for title. He served with dedication, honesty and a genuine love for people.
Under his watch, the alumni body became more united, more purposeful and more responsive to the needs of its members and community.
He did not only give the association a new lift by registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), he also placed it on the national map by integrating it with the Council of Alumni Associations of Nigerian Universities.
There is something about Vihimga that changes every room he enters. The ambience shifts. The atmosphere gets electrified.
Laughter fills the air, but it is not empty laughter. It is the laughter of hope, of inclusion, of a man who makes people feel seen and loved.
In a political climate polluted by tension and division, Sankera needs that kind of presence. A leader who unites before he speaks policy.
In the last political dispensation, Vihimga aspired to represent his people. He presented himself with a clear vision and a clean record.
But gerontocracy forces would not allow him. The old order preferred recycling old names over testing fresh ideas.
Sankera lost an opportunity then. But windows close only for new ones to open.
That window is 2027. Vihimga has presented himself again, this time with more resolve under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) — the party of the white horse, the real progressive party.
Oh people of Sankera, this is your chance to entrench true people-centred leadership. Not leadership of promises but leadership of presence.
Not leadership of big grammar but leadership that understands the pain of the farmer, the fear of the mother and the frustration of the jobless youth.
This is the man who can afford you purposeful and selfless representation in the Green Chambers of the National Assembly.
Purposeful because he plans before he acts. Selfless because his record shows he spends more time solving problems than taking credit.
In Abuja, Sankera needs a voice that speaks for those in the rural communities, not just for the elite. Sankera needs to be visible at the national and Vihimga is that voice, he is the person.
Come 2027, every Sankera man, woman or youth who yearns for development should vote Lawrence Vihimga for Katsina-Ala-Ukum-Logo Federal Constituency.
It is the surest way to tackling insecurity, promoting unity and engendering grassroots development.
Insecurity has stolen our peace. Unity has been fractured by politics of exclusion. Grassroots development has been a slogan, not a reality.
Vihimga understands that security starts with opportunity, unity starts with inclusion and development starts at the grassroots.
He will legislate with the farmer in mind, attract projects that touch the rural areas and build bridges across our divides.
Sankera has tried the old formula for too long. 2027 must be different. Youth is not inexperience when it is guided by wisdom.
Vihimga has both. He has the energy to run the race and the character to finish it well.
The choice before us is simple. Continue with what has not worked or try what integrity and service can do.
Lawrence Vihimga is ready. Sankera must be ready too.
The time for recycling is over. The time for results is here. Vote Lawrence Vihimga. Vote for Sankera’s future.
