Court Strips Karimi Of APC Ticket, Declares Sam Aro Winner Of Kogi West Primary

The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified Senator Sunday Karimi’s emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Kogi West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, declaring Samuel Bamidele Aro the winner of the party’s primary election.

In a judgment delivered on Wednesday, Justice Salim Ibrahim held that the primary election won by Aro was validly conducted by the APC National Working Committee’s Election Committee and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The judge consequently invalidated the purported primary that produced Karimi, ruling that the exercise was not monitored by INEC as required by the Electoral Act 2022.

Justice Ibrahim ordered Karimi to stop presenting himself as the APC candidate for the senatorial district and directed the party to immediately forward Aro’s name to INEC as its nominee for the 2027 election.

The court also directed INEC to publish Aro’s name as the lawful APC candidate for Kogi West.

In explaining the decision, the judge said the evidence before the court established that the primary election won by Aro was conducted by the party’s National Working Committee election committee and monitored by INEC.

He faulted the process that allegedly produced Karimi, noting that the electoral commission did not have the official record of the results of the primary he claimed to have won.

The judge further observed that INEC did not issue a certified true copy of the purported results despite an application made by Karimi through a letter dated June 15, 2026.

Relying on Sections 84(1) and 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022, Justice Ibrahim maintained that INEC’s monitoring of party primaries was a statutory requirement, adding that a primary conducted without the commission’s required monitoring could not be regarded as valid.

He also held that the aspirant who secured the highest number of votes at a valid party primary was entitled to be recognised as the party’s candidate and issued the relevant nomination documents for submission to INEC.

The suit was instituted by Aro, who challenged the APC’s decision to submit Karimi’s name to INEC following the party’s senatorial primary held on May 18, 2026.

The plaintiff had asked the court to recognise him as the winner of the exercise and set aside the subsequent submission of Karimi’s name as the party’s candidate.

The case was initially filed at the Federal High Court in Lokoja but was later transferred to the Abuja division on security grounds.

During the proceedings, lawyers representing Karimi, the APC and INEC challenged the competence of the suit, arguing that it was filed outside the 14-day period prescribed for pre-election matters under Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

Karimi’s lawyer, John Olusola Baiyeshea, SAN, argued that the primary was conducted on May 18 and the senator’s name submitted to INEC on June 29, while Aro did not institute the action until late July.

He urged the court to dismiss the case as statute-barred, while also questioning the authenticity of the results presented by the plaintiff.

However, Aro’s counsel, Johnson Usman, SAN, maintained that the evidence, including results obtained from INEC, established that his client won the primary and was entitled to the party’s ticket.

The court rejected the defendants’ objections and granted the reliefs sought by Aro.

Reacting to the judgment, Karimi rejected the court’s decision and vowed to challenge it at the Court of Appeal.

In a statement personally signed by him, the senator described the ruling as contrary to the evidence presented before the court and accused the trial judge of departing from previous decisions on similar pre-election disputes.

Karimi also alleged that Aro did not participate in the APC primary but submitted fabricated documents to support his claim. These allegations have not been established by the court in the judgment.

The senator further alleged that political leaders in Kogi State were behind the legal challenge, claiming that they were seeking to persecute him over his criticism of the management of the state’s resources.

Despite the ruling, Karimi said his campaign would continue as he pursues legal redress, urging his supporters to remain calm and steadfast.

The judgment marks a significant development in the APC’s preparations for the 2027 Kogi West senatorial election, although Karimi’s planned appeal could prolong the dispute over who will represent the party in the contest.