The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has set aside the emergence of Sunday Karimi as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Kogi West Senatorial District race.
In a judgment, Justice Salim Ibrahim held that the APC’s submission of Karimi’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on July 11, 2026, was invalid because Sam Aro, who emerged winner of the party’s primary election, was neither dead nor had withdrawn his candidacy.
The judge consequently declared the submission of Karimi’s name null, void and of no effect.
The court ordered the APC to stop presenting Karimi as its candidate and directed INEC not to recognise him as the party’s nominee.
It also ordered the APC to immediately forward Aro’s name to INEC as its duly elected candidate for the Kogi West senatorial election.
What You Should Know
A Federal High Court in Abuja has voided the submission of Sunday Karimi’s name as the APC candidate for the Kogi West senatorial election. The judge ruled that since Sam Aro won the primary election and had neither withdrawn nor passed away, replacing him was illegal. The court ordered INEC and the APC to immediately recognize and submit Sam Aro as the rightful candidate.
- Positive Impact: Upholds internal party democracy and ensures that valid winners of primary elections are not unlawfully substituted.
- Potential Concerns: Triggers last-minute legal battles and administrative adjustments for the electoral body and the political party ahead of the elections.
