Ward, Local Government, Zonal, and State Executive members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi West Senatorial District have passed a vote of confidence in the party’s senatorial candidate, Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro, and called on the party’s national leadership to reverse what they described as his alleged illegal substitution with Senator Sunday Karimi. Addressing the reporters at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, the party officials urged the National Working Committee (NWC) to uphold the outcome of the party’s senatorial primary election, insisting that Aro remained the legitimate winner of the Kogi West APC Senate primary.
The petition was signed on behalf of the executives by the Kogi West Zonal Chairman, Hon. Aledare Emmanuel Ayo; APC Deputy State Chairman, Hon. Aliyu Salihu; and the State Youth Leader, Hon. Buhari Lokoja.
The party leaders described the reported replacement of Aro with Senator Karimi as unlawful. They warned that such a move could undermine party unity and weaken the APC’s electoral prospects in the district ahead of future elections.
They maintained that the APC senatorial primary election was duly conducted and that Aro emerged victorious through a process validated by the party’s electoral committee. They added that the result remained the only legitimate outcome before the appeal period expired.
The executives further argued that Senator Karimi neither challenged the primary election through the party’s established appeal mechanism nor obtained any court judgment nullifying Aro’s emergence as the party’s candidate.
They contended that any subsequent replacement of Aro would amount to a violation of the Electoral Act, the APC Constitution and Guidelines, as well as the wishes of party members who participated in the primary election.
The petition also rejected reports suggesting that Aro voluntarily withdrew from the contest, insisting that he neither completed nor submitted any required withdrawal form.
The APC officials alleged that the party’s national leadership may have been misinformed when it approved the reported substitution. They cautioned that failure to address the issue could deepen internal divisions within the party in Kogi West ahead of the 2027 general elections.
They therefore called on the National Working Committee to investigate the matter, reverse the alleged substitution if it occurred, restore Aro as the APC’s authentic candidate for Kogi West Senatorial District, and uphold the principles of internal democracy and the rule of law.
Copies of the petition were also sent to the APC National Secretary, the party’s National Legal Adviser, and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
