By Yekini Jimoh
With seeming evidence of losing the APC Kogi West Senatorial ticket, House of Reps member, Sunday Karimi has opted for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to fulfil his Senatorial ambition.
The ADC arrangement was sealed last weekend with leaders of the ADC in the state following Karimi’s supporters’ advice that the APC ticket is already out of reach.
The supporters hinged their decision on many factors; one of them was that Karimi does not command full control of Yagba delegates.
According to an inside source, Karimi only has full control of Yagba West and partial control of Yagba East and Mopamuro. He’s also battling with two to three other aspirants from the zone.
“If you look at it very well, only Senator Smart Adeyemi is contesting from Kabba/BUNU/ Ijumu Federal constituency and he’s firmly in control of that axis, coupled with the natural love Lokoja/Kogi Federal constituency has for Smart. We know that the Senatorial ticket is beyond Karimi.”
Other followers said APC bigwigs around the governor have kicked against Karimi’s flying the party ticket over his past utterances on the floor of the National Assembly while he was a reps member.
Karimi was said to have categorically described Governor Bello as a corrupt person, and also alluded that the governor was behind the death of a political actor from the zone.
“Those around Bello have compounded his problem. To them, Karimi cannot wash clean from all those character assassinations against the governor or his government. They would have charged him to court over those utterances if not that he (Karimi) has legislative immunity for his words on the floor of the National Assembly.
“It will amount to foolishness to reward someone whose utterances was a complete verbal assault, character assassination of the government of Governor Bello, as well as a dent on the image of the Governor and Egbira people worldwide.”
Karimi, it was gathered opted for ADC in order to bank on the image of the present House of Representatives members from the Constituency, Leke Abejide to prosecute his Senatorial ambition.
They have agreed to have a stooge hold the ticket while Karimi continues to rock the APC boat until after the primary when he will move to ADC, and then the stooge will relinquish the ticket for him to run.
