The Kogi West Senatorial primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been thrown into renewed controversy following allegations that the official outcome was targeted for alteration through a disputed post-election document.
The crisis centres on claims that a result already declared and transmitted by the Returning Officer, Isah Haruna, may have been challenged by a second return sheet allegedly produced after the conclusion of the exercise.
At the heart of the dispute is the May 18 primary, in which Senator Sunday Karimi was officially declared winner after polling 51,665 votes, defeating four other aspirants in a contest that was initially described as decisive and uncontested.
However, emerging claims now suggest that a separate document surfaced after the announcement, allegedly presenting a different outcome in favour of Samuel Aro, who is also reported to have withdrawn from the race prior to the election.
The development has triggered concerns within political circles over how an already concluded internal election could generate competing versions of official results, raising questions about the integrity of documentation and control of electoral materials.
Investigations into the matter point to allegations involving the handling of election result sheets and the authenticity of signatures on the disputed document.
It is alleged that Yetunde Adeniji, Senior Special Assistant to the President on School Feeding Programme and secretary of the election panel, alongside former Kogi State APC Chairman Hon. Abdullahi Bello, were linked to the circulation of the controversial return sheet.
The allegations further suggest that the disputed document bore signatures that are now being questioned, including claims of possible forgery involving the Returning Officer’s endorsement.
Sources familiar with the matter claim that the disputed sheet was presented as a corrected or alternative outcome after the official declaration had already been made, raising concerns of procedural breach and unauthorized alteration of electoral records.
Additional controversy stems from allegations that the attempt to validate the altered result was justified with claims of high-level political approval following a meeting in Lagos involving Governor Ododo.
However, this claim is widely disputed, with indications that no formal authorisation was granted for any change to the officially declared outcome.
Despite the controversy, the officially announced and submitted result of the primary remains intact, as declared by Returning Officer Isah Haruna and transmitted to the party’s state-level electoral committee.
The breakdown shows Senator Sunday Karimi leading with 51,665 votes, followed by Samuel Aro with 620 votes, Smart Adeyemi with 571 votes, Alhaji Abubakar Zakari Ola with 414 votes, and Elizabeth Adedoyin with 18 votes.
The emergence of conflicting claims has now shifted attention to the internal safeguards governing party primaries, particularly the custody, transmission, and authentication of result documents after elections.
Political observers say the situation underscores a broader challenge in party democracy where disputes over nomination outcomes increasingly extend beyond the ballot to post-election documentation battles.
As tension builds, calls are growing within party ranks for a transparent review of how the conflicting documents emerged, who authorized them, and whether proper procedural checks were bypassed.
The unfolding controversy now places the APC’s internal electoral credibility under renewed scrutiny, with stakeholders insisting that clarity and accountability are necessary to prevent further erosion of trust in the party’s nomination processes.
Kogi West APC primary hit by result dispute, forgery claims
