As another high-stakes election cycle intensifies across Nigeria, political party primaries have taken center stage. While these internal contests are ideally designed to democratize candidate selection, the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary for the Kogi West Senatorial District has instead plunged into an arena of high drama, bizarre rumors, and deep-seated suspicion.
Dubbed by local insiders as a “comic confluence of kleptomaniacs,” the unfolding situation has sparked widespread disbelief and exposed deep fractures within the region’s political landscape.
The official timeline of the Kogi West APC primary points to an orderly process: a primary election was conducted, ward results were collated, and the incumbent, Senator Sunday Karimi, was officially declared the winner.
However, it is the sequence of events immediately before and after the voting that has set tongues wagging across the state.
In a synchronized move that left political observers stunned, every single aspirant—with the exception of Senator Karimi—addressed press conferences just before the primary commenced. They announced their immediate withdrawal from the race. The reason provided to the public was a shared “deference” to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
While the public reason focused on party loyalty, an entirely different narrative has gripped the political grapevine. Rumors are circulating that immense financial sums exchanged hands behind closed doors. Allegations have emerged suggesting that a compromised committee secretary went as far as creating a forged result sheet, which was subsequently submitted to national party leaders in Abuja as the “official” outcome.
For veteran observers of Kogi State’s political theatre, the current controversy evokes a profound sense of déjà vu. Many are comparing this situation to the controversial substitutions and power plays that initially propelled the self-acclaimed “Supreme Leader” of local politics into office years ago.
In Kogi West, political engineering is often viewed through a skeptical lens. While thievery is traditionally associated with physical acts like pickpocketing, burglary, or armed robbery, local stakeholders argue that “political robbery”—the systemic hijacking of a democratic process—boils down to the exact same brand of theft.
The fallout from the Kogi West primary extends far beyond a single senatorial seat. Analysts warn that allowing such an “insane political robbery” to stand unchallenged sets a dangerous precedent for the executive leadership of the state.
Political insiders emphasize that if this method of candidate manufacturing succeeds in the senatorial contest, it will almost certainly serve as the blueprint or precursor for the high-stakes Kogi State Gubernatorial Primaries in 2027.
The current Governor, His Excellency Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, is being urged by stakeholders to tread carefully and remain hyper-vigilant. If the integrity of local primaries is completely eroded, the machinery of governance and party loyalty may become entirely unmanageable by the time the governorship race arrives.
As the dust settles on this controversial primary, Kogi West remains at the epicenter of a political storm—leaving voters and party faithful wondering whether democracy or political theatre will have the final say.
– Bitrus Damilare wrote from Lokoja.
