A fresh crisis has hit the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State as Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro has instituted a legal action at the Federal High Court, Lokoja Division, over the Kogi West Senatorial ticket.
In the suit, Aro is challenging the ruling party, Senator Sunday Steve Karimi, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the nomination of the party’s candidate for the 2027 Kogi West Senatorial District election.
Through an originating summons, the plaintiff is asking the court to determine whether the APC is bound by its constitution, electoral guidelines, and the Electoral Act in the nomination process.
Aro is seeking a court declaration that he was the valid winner of the Kogi West APC primary election held on May 18, 2026. He further prays the court to declare the subsequent submission of Senator Karimi’s name to INEC on July 11, 2026, as null, void, and of no effect.
Maintaining that he never withdrew his candidacy, Aro is asking the court to direct INEC to accept and recognise his name as the party’s flagbearer for the 2027 general election.
It would be recalled that the returning officer for the primary, Isah Haruna, had declared Senator Karimi the winner after polling 51,665 votes.
The exercise followed an endorsement of Karimi as a consensus candidate by party stakeholders backed by Governor Usman Ododo, amidst reports that other aspirants, including Aro, had stepped down.
Following disputes over the outcome, the APC National Working Committee (NWC), acting on the report of its Election Appeal Panel which reviewed over 700 petitions across nine states, upheld Karimi’s victory and submitted his name to the electoral body.
However, Aro’s decision to seek judicial redress has drawn criticism from some party stakeholders in Kogi West, who described the lawsuit as “desperation taken too far.”
A prominent APC chieftain, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, noted that while Aro is within his constitutional rights, the litigation risks reopening internal divisions and distracting the party from its preparations for the 2027 general election.
The Federal High Court in Lokoja is expected to fix a date for the hearing of the suit as political observers closely watch the unfolding legal contest.
