APC group insists Karimi won Kogi West senatorial primary

By Adeola Badru The Win With Tinubu (WWT) Grassroots Mobilisation Programme in Kogi State has insisted that Senator Sunday Steve Karimi remains the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Kogi West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections, despite a Federal High Court ruling nullifying his candidature. The group said the outcome of the May 18, 2026, APC senatorial primary was reviewed and upheld by the party’s appeal committee, following which Karimi’s name was submitted to and published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the party’s candidate.

It, however, disclosed that Karimi’s legal team had commenced steps to challenge the court ruling at the appellate court. The group’s position was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by its State Programme Coordinator, Sani Philips, following the judgment delivered by Justice Salim Olasupo Ibrahim in a suit filed by Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro against Karimi.

The group argued that the court ruling should not override the outcome of the party’s internal electoral process, insisting that APC members and delegates in Kogi West had elected Karimi during the primary. It also recalled that controversy had trailed the primary after Aro’s name was allegedly submitted as the winner despite his purported non-participation in the exercise.

According to WWT, the party’s appeal committee subsequently reviewed the process and reaffirmed Karimi’s victory. The statement said: “While we note with respect the ruling, we, however, consider it a needless distraction and a deliberate attempt to deny members of the APC in Kogi West the mandate freely given to Senator Sunday Steve Karimi through their votes at the APC Kogi West Senatorial Primaries Election, which took place on May 18, 2026.” The group further questioned aspects of the judgment, alleging that the trial judge departed from established legal principles in reaching his decision.

It added that Karimi’s legal team had begun the process of filing an appeal to challenge and set aside the ruling. WWT maintained that Karimi remained the party’s duly nominated candidate pending the determination of the matter by the appellate court. It said: “We wish to affirm that Senator Sunday Steve Karimi remains the authentic, duly nominated and validly elected candidate of our great party for the Kogi West Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections, pending the determination of the suit at the appellate court.” Recounting the controversy surrounding the primary, the group alleged that Aro’s name had previously been submitted as the winner despite his not participating in the exercise.

It said the APC appeal committee intervened, reviewed the process and upheld Karimi’s victory, after which his name was forwarded to INEC and published as the party’s candidate. The mobilisation group also disputed the court’s assessment of the primary, arguing that the ruling did not reflect the process conducted and documented by the relevant organs of the party.

It appealed to APC supporters and grassroots mobilisers across Kogi State to remain calm and allow the appellate court to determine the dispute. Beyond the legal battle, WWT said its grassroots mobilisation activities would continue across the state, particularly its efforts to secure support for President Bola Tinubu and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.

The group, which disclosed that it was sponsored by Karimi, said its ward-level engagements and mobilisation activities would not be suspended because of the ongoing litigation. It described the senator as its chief grassroots mobiliser for Tinubu’s re-election campaign in Kogi State and reaffirmed its support for his bid to secure a second term in the Senate.

The group expressed confidence that the appellate court would determine the matter expeditiously, while maintaining that the party’s political activities in Kogi West would continue.