Kogi APC Crisis: Stakeholders urge Tinubu to back neutral candidate for senate ticket

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA — Stakeholders from all seven local government areas of Kogi West Senatorial District have urged President Bola Tinubu and APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda to intervene in the ongoing dispute over the party’s senatorial primary.

The group warned that if the conflict remains unresolved, it could deepen internal divisions and harm the APC’s prospects in the 2027 general elections.

The call came from the grassroots pro‑democracy organization Eagle Watch and Project Accountability Initiative. Its statement, signed by Chairman Alhaji Danasabe Muhammed and Secretary Barr. Abdulateef Kareem, was released to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

They asked the APC leadership to set aside the two leading aspirants—Senator Sunday Steve Karimi and Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro—and instead consider a neutral consensus candidate.

The group specifically nominated Dr. Ibrahim Tajudeen Bisimillahi of Yagba East Local Government Area as a unifying figure who could bridge factional divides.

According to the organization, the crisis stems from a disputed primary in which both Karimi and Aro were separately declared winners, creating parallel claims to the party ticket.

It alleged that the disagreement was fueled by tensions between political blocs aligned with former Governor Yahaya Bello and incumbent Governor Ahmed Ododo on one side, and supporters of Hon. James Faleke on the other.

The group claimed that Senator Karimi was reportedly backed by a “Presidential Unity List” associated with Faleke, a move that drew resistance from rival factions within the state’s party structure.

It further said that support for Hon. Aro came from the opposing camp shortly before the primary, deepening the rift.

The stakeholders warned that allowing either aspirant to proceed could further polarise the APC in the senatorial district.

“For APC to approach the general elections as one united family, a neutral and acceptable candidate must emerge—someone trusted and respected by all camps,” the group said.

They argued that Dr. Bisimillahi’s emergence would restore balance based on zoning considerations, noting that while other local government areas in Kogi West had produced senators in the past, Yagba East had not.

The group also described Bisimillahi as politically acceptable across factions, citing his cordial relations with both major political blocs in the state.

It added that his family and grassroots connections, as well as his humanitarian engagements, position him as a unifying candidate capable of calming tensions within the party.

According to the stakeholders, adopting a consensus candidate would not only ease political tension in Kogi West but also improve APC’s electoral prospects in the 2027 general elections.

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