Sen. Karimi loyalists dismiss Aro’s victory claim, insist APC settled Kogi West ticket

By Musa Baba Adamu

A stakeholders’ forum loyal to Senator Sunday Steve Karimi has rejected claims that Hon. Sam Aro won the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary for Kogi West, insisting Karimi remains the party’s authentic candidate for the 2027 National Assembly election.
The group made the declaration on Sunday in Lokoja, a day after another faction of the party backed Aro, claiming he emerged winner of the APC primary conducted on May 18, 2026.
Addressing journalists, the forum, led by Stanley Ajileye, described assertions that Aro won the primary as false and capable of creating unnecessary division within the party.
According to the stakeholders, Karimi won the primary in a free, fair and transparent process, with votes collated openly in the presence of party officials, representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies and the media before he was declared winner.
The forum, however, alleged that some members of the primary election committee later submitted a different result to the party’s National Collation Centre in Abuja, naming Hon. Sam Aro Samuel Bamidele as the winner.
It said Karimi challenged the outcome before the APC Primary Election Appeal Committee, presenting evidence to support his claim as the rightful winner of the exercise.
The stakeholders commended the APC national leadership for reviewing the petition and affirming Karimi as the party’s candidate, describing the decision as a demonstration of justice, due process and internal democracy.
The group also praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as his commitment to fairness and the rule of law, while applauding Karimi for reaching out to other aspirants in a bid to foster reconciliation within the party.
Calling for unity ahead of the 2027 general elections, the forum urged aggrieved APC members in Kogi West to put the primary dispute behind them and work together for the party’s success, insisting that “there is no victor and no vanquished” in the contest.