A Deserving Homecoming for Leke Abejide
By J.O. Abel-Ontop
There are political homecomings that are simply ceremonial, and there are those that carry a deeper meaning. The planned October 8 gathering in Isanlu, Yagba East Local Government Area, falls into the latter category as leaders and supporters from Yagba East, Yagba West and Mopamuro prepare to receive Rt. Hon. Leke Joseph Abejide, the All Progressives Congress candidate for the Yagba Federal Constituency in the 2027 House of Representatives election.
The significance of the event lies in the fact that the three local government areas that make up the federal constituency are coming together in one place. It is, in practical terms, a homecoming that brings the constituency together around its political representative and the candidate who emerged from the APC primary to seek another mandate in 2027.
For Abejide, the occasion also provides an opportunity to reconnect directly with the people after years of legislative service. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2019 and retained the seat in 2023. In May 2026, he emerged as the APC candidate for the constituency after the party’s primary, positioning him for a third-term contest.
That background gives the proposed homecoming a dimension beyond a routine political gathering. Abejide is returning to a constituency in which he has already spent two terms representing the people at the federal level. His current role as Chairman of the House Committee on Customs and Excise has also given him responsibilities that extend into national issues involving customs administration, trade and revenue oversight.
But a homecoming should not be reduced to political celebration alone. It is also a moment for reflection. For the people of Yagba, it provides an opportunity to consider the journey so far, the expectations attached to the federal mandate and the issues that should define the next phase of representation.
The planned convergence has already taken on a three-LGA character. Mopamuro participants are expected to assemble at the College of Education Technical, Mopa, from where they will proceed to Isanlu, while Yagba West and Yagba East stakeholders are also expected to participate in the programme. The organisers have announced a 9:00 a.m. commencement for the Isanlu programme, with the Mopamuro contingent scheduled to set out at 8:00 a.m.
The involvement of the three local government chairmen, Hon. Ademola Bello Destiny of Mopamuro, Hon. Joshua Dare of Yagba East and Hon. Tosin Olokun of Yagba West, further reflects the broad organisational structure behind the gathering. Their invitations to residents, party members, traditional and community leaders, youths and women groups point to an event designed to bring different segments of the constituency together.
There is also a wider political context to the gathering. Abejide’s transition from the African Democratic Congress to the APC earlier in 2026 and his subsequent emergence as the APC candidate have altered the political configuration surrounding the 2027 contest. His candidacy followed an APC primary in which he secured the party’s ticket, an outcome subsequently defended by APC leaders and elected officials across Yagba.
Against this background, the homecoming offers Abejide and the people an opportunity to begin a new phase of political engagement. It should be a meeting not only of supporters, but of expectations. A politician returning home should hear the voices of the people just as much as the people hear from him.
That is why the purpose of the gathering should extend beyond numbers and political spectacle. Its real value should be found in reconnection, appreciation, dialogue and renewed engagement between a representative and the constituency. The occasion can serve as a reminder that political mandates are ultimately rooted in the people, while political leadership carries the responsibility of remaining connected to those who entrusted it with power.
Abejide’s supporters may see the gathering as a celebration of his political journey and the beginning of another phase. Others may approach it from a more critical perspective, asking what the next mandate should deliver and what lessons should guide the constituency going forward. Both perspectives are part of democratic politics.
What makes the October 8 event particularly significant is therefore not merely the presence of a political candidate. It is the convergence of Yagba East, Yagba West and Mopamuro around a common political space. The three local government areas have different communities, interests and political histories, but they share one federal constituency and, consequently, a common stake in the quality of its representation.
Abejide’s homecoming should consequently be about more than receiving a politician. It should be about bringing the representative, the people and the future of the constituency into the same conversation.
If the gathering succeeds in achieving that purpose, the welcome in Isanlu will be more than a political rally. It will be a homecoming in its proper sense: a return to the people, a recognition of the journey already travelled and an opportunity to discuss the road ahead.
And that is why the October 8 homecoming is, in every sense, a deserving homecoming for Leke Abejide.