A fresh political storm has engulfed the All Progressives Congress after a major aspirant in the controversial Kogi Central senatorial primary rejected the declaration of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello as winner, alleging massive manipulation and imposition.
Chief Momoh Yusuf Obaro, Secretary of the APC UK Chapter, openly challenged the outcome of the exercise, insisting that he — not Yahaya Bello — won the primary by a landslide based on results allegedly collated by his agents across polling units, wards and local government areas in Kogi Central.
The explosive development has triggered fresh tension within the ruling party and threatens to deepen the growing internal cracks ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obaro described the result announced by what he termed “self-acclaimed returning officers” as “daylight robbery,” claiming the figures released were fabricated to favour Yahaya Bello.
According to him, the actual results showed:
Chief Momoh Yusuf Obaro — 44,270 votes
Yahaya Bello — 20,092 votes
Ibrahim Yakubu Adoke — 1,985 votes
But in a dramatic twist, party officials allegedly declared Yahaya Bello winner with a staggering 72,399 votes, while Obaro was reportedly allocated just 188 votes and Adoke 319 votes.
Obaro questioned how Bello could allegedly secure over 72,000 votes from roughly 76,800 accredited APC members in what was expected to be a fiercely contested primary.
He also dismissed as “politically insulting and mathematically impossible” claims that he scored only eight votes in Okene Local Government Area despite what he described as his formidable grassroots structure and loyal support base in the area.
“This is not an election result; this is a prewritten script designed to impose a predetermined candidate on the people,” Obaro declared.
The aggrieved aspirant demanded the immediate public release of ward-by-ward and polling unit-by-polling unit results, insisting that transparency was the only way to save the credibility of the APC in Kogi Central.
Obaro also raised fresh questions over Yahaya Bello’s eligibility to contest the primary, citing unresolved controversies surrounding his screening and legal status before the exercise.
Political observers say the dispute could spark a major internal crisis within the APC in Kogi State, especially as tensions continue to mount over alleged irregularities and imposition of candidates ahead of 2027.
The controversy now adds to the widening wave of petitions, protests and factional battles rocking APC primaries across the country as the race toward the next general elections intensifies.
APC in Turmoil as Kogi Central Primary Explodes Over Alleged Result Manipulation
