The crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi West took a fresh turn at the weekend as a stakeholders’ forum loyal to Senator Sunday Steve Karimi, declared that his emergence as the party’s candidate for the Senatorial District was a victory for democracy and internal party processes.
The development came barely 24 hours after another faction of the party threw its weight behind Hon. Sam Aro, insisting he won the APC senatorial primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
Addressing journalists in Lokoja on Sunday, the forum, led by Stanley Ajileye alongside other stakeholders from Kogi West, dismissed claims that Hon. Aro emerged victorious in the primary election, describing such assertions as false, misleading and capable of creating unnecessary division within the party.
According to the forum, Senator Karimi won the primary in a free, fair and transparent exercise conducted in line with the APC’s guidelines.
The stakeholders maintained that the results were openly collated in the presence of party officials, representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and members of the media before Karimi was declared winner.
They, however, alleged that some members of the primary election committee later submitted a different result to the party’s National Collation Centre in Abuja, falsely declaring another aspirant, Hon. Aro Samuel Bamidele, as the winner.
The forum said Senator Karimi subsequently petitioned the APC Primary Election Appeal Committee, presenting what it described as overwhelming evidence to establish that he was the authentic winner of the exercise.
Commending the national leadership of the APC for reviewing the appeal and affirming Karimi as the party’s candidate for the 2027 National Assembly election, Ajileye said the decision demonstrated the party’s commitment to justice and due process.
“We sincerely thank the leadership of our great party for ensuring that justice prevailed by standing firmly for the truth and protecting the mandate freely given to Senator Sunday Steve Karimi by APC members across Kogi West,” he said.
The stakeholders also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what they described as his commitment to internal democracy, fairness and the rule of law, saying his disposition had strengthened members’ confidence in the party’s leadership.
They further commended Senator Karimi for extending an olive branch to his fellow aspirants after the resolution of the primary dispute, describing the gesture as one capable of promoting reconciliation and unity within the APC.
The forum maintained that Karimi enjoys widespread grassroots support across Kogi West, citing his constituency projects and intervention programmes as evidence of his popularity and contributions to the district.
Calling for reconciliation, the stakeholders urged all aggrieved party members to put the primary election behind them and unite ahead of the 2027 general elections.
“There is no victor and no vanquished. The true winner is the All Progressives Congress, and the ultimate beneficiaries are the people of Kogi West,” the forum declared.
They appealed to APC members across the senatorial district to rally behind President Bola Tinubu and Senator Sunday Steve Karimi to secure victory for the party in the 2027 presidential and National Assembly elections.
