There is a defining moment in every political season when the curtain of pretense is torn away, leaving the naked truth to stand before the public—unblinking, unforgiving, and undeniable. For Kogi West, that moment arrived during the APC Senatorial Primary in Kabba on May 17, 2026.
On that day, stakeholders from every federal constituency within Kogi West met separately to endorse Senator Sunday Karimi as the consensus candidate ahead of the primary election scheduled for the following day. It was on the strength of these consensus meetings that Hon. Samuel Aro willingly submitted his letter of withdrawal from the race. These proceedings were captured on video—and videos do not lie.
During the primary, all Local Government returning officers—who are not anonymous party foot soldiers, but high-ranking government appointees—stood before the cameras. The Commissioners for Finance, Environment, and Information, alongside the Special Adviser and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor, each stepped forward. One by one, they submitted their results, watching as the figures were counted, recorded, and officially announced. Unanimously, they acknowledged a singular reality: Senator Sunday Karimi had won.
In any sane political culture, that would have been the definitive end of the matter. But this is Kogi West, where memory proves short, gratitude is scarce, and the conscience of men is easily traded for the lure of immediate gratification.
It is deeply regrettable—indeed, outright shameful—that any organ of the party or any government appointee from the seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) could now stand before those same cameras to claim that Hon. Sam Aro even participated in the election, let alone won it. The same cameras. The same party. A completely fabricated reality.
The Betrayal of the Chairmen
What is most disconcerting—and “disconcerting” is a mild understatement—is the conduct of the Local Government Council Chairmen. These are men who received substantial financial and political backing during and after their own elections. They ate from the same hand that nurtured their political ambitions. Yet, today, they have authorized their party chairmen to stand before the public and falsely claim that Senator Karimi did not win.
Let that sink in. Men who owe their current political relevance to the very system that produced Karimi’s victory have turned around to bite the hand that fed them. If this does not define betrayal, then the word has lost all meaning.
Not Fear, But Profound Embarrassment
Let me be absolutely clear: this is not written out of fear or panic that Senator Karimi will lose the ticket. Far from it. Truth has a stubborn habit of surviving, and the evidence in this case is overwhelming. Rather, this is written out of deep, personal embarrassment. It is embarrassing to watch a cohort of leaders and public officials completely lack the basic courage to speak truth to power.
For the record, let it be inscribed in the history of Kogi West politics: no single individual has invested more resources, time, and loyalty into the party over the last four years than Senator Karimi. No one has supported party activities as consistently, and no individual or institution has initiated programs that have fostered more goodwill for the APC across Kogi West than he has.
These are not opinions; these are verifiable facts. And facts, unlike the narratives peddled by desperate men, do not shift with the wind.
The Okun Conundrum
The actions of certain Okun-speaking representatives in that infamous counter-press conference expose a tragic vulnerability: that some among us have reduced themselves to mere tools, easily manipulated and tossed aside for a few thousand naira. This performance lends unfortunate credence to Senator Smart Adeyemi’s past, biting analogy about them. For those who remember his words, the echo today is deafening.
How else does one explain such duplicity? The very man they visited at his home last week—the man with whom they ate, drank, and sang praises to the delight of everyone in the hall—is the same man they are now disparaging before the cameras. Last week, he was a brother; this week, he is a target. Last week brought praises; this week brings perfidy.
This has transcended politics; it has become a pathology.
Hard Lessons from a Shameful Episode
This sorry saga—this attempted heist of a legitimate mandate—offers harsh but necessary lessons for those willing to see:
The Exposure of Character: It has revealed the true nature of individuals willing to sell their kinsman for a morsel. Nothing illustrates this better than the spectacle of Ayo Emmanuel, the Kogi West APC Chairman, alongside other LGA chairmen, uttering blatant falsehoods on camera to deny Karimi’s victory. To look directly into a lens and call darkness light requires a uniquely hardened conscience.
The Enemy Within: We must remain wary of certain figures who are desperately trying to manufacture grassroots popularity. Chief among them is a recent political decampee to the APC—well-remembered for being verbally battered by Dino Melaye some months ago—who has grown envious of Karimi’s rising stature. This is not merely about one primary election; it is a test run for 2027. The battle lines are being drawn, and the primary adversary is not the opposition party. The enemy is within: men who would rather burn down the house than see another live in it.
The Verdict of Truth
Let no one be confused. This is a difficult battle to fight, not because the opposition is formidable, but because it is shameless. When men lose their capacity for shame, they will say anything, sign anything, and betray anyone.
But the truth remains unyielding. The videos do not lie. The official results from Kabba do not lie. The initial, unanimous acknowledgments by government appointees—before they were bought, before they recanted, and before they priced out their consciences—do not lie.
Senator Sunday Karimi won that primary. He remains the valid candidate. All the desperate, revisionist press conferences in the world cannot alter that reality.
This battle is already won because the evidence is irrefutable, and justice does not sleep. However, political confidence does not erase moral embarrassment. Until those who betrayed their oaths, their kinsman, and their own recorded words are held accountable, the stain of this episode will linger over Kogi West politics.
Let the cameras keep rolling. The truth will have the final frame.
– Chief Olorunsuwa Elijah Ola
Executive Director, Okun Renaissance Initiative and Immediate Past National President, Oke-Offin Development Association
