Fresh turmoil has hit the APC in Kogi Central after senatorial aspirant and APC UK Chapter Secretary, Chief Momoh Yusuf Obaro, openly rejected the outcome of the party’s controversial primary election that produced former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, as winner.
Obaro described the exercise as heavily manipulated and accused party officials of orchestrating what he called a predetermined outcome designed to impose Bello on party members.
In a strongly worded reaction issued shortly after the results were announced, the APC chieftain insisted that figures independently collated by his agents across polling units and wards showed he clearly defeated Bello and other contenders.
According to Obaro, his internal tally gave him 44,270 votes, while Bello secured 20,092 votes and Ibrahim Yakubu Adoke polled 1,985 votes.
But the official result announced by the electoral committee declared Bello winner with 72,399 votes. Adoke was credited with 319 votes, while Obaro received only 188 votes — figures he described as “politically insulting and mathematically questionable.”
The aggrieved aspirant questioned how Bello could allegedly secure over 72,000 votes from about 76,800 accredited APC members in a keenly contested primary involving several influential contenders.
He particularly faulted the result from Okene Local Government Area, where he was reportedly allocated just eight votes despite what he described as his extensive political network and grassroots support in the area.
“This was not an election; it was a coordinated allocation of figures,” Obaro declared, accusing unnamed party officials of undermining internal democracy within the APC.
He challenged the party leadership to immediately release detailed ward-by-ward and polling-unit results to enable independent scrutiny and verification.
Obaro also reignited questions surrounding Bello’s participation in the primary, alleging that concerns raised before the exercise regarding the former governor’s screening and eligibility were ignored by party authorities.
“The APC must decide whether it wants to protect democracy within the party or continue encouraging impunity and manipulation,” he stated.
The Kogi Central controversy now adds to the widening list of disputes and post-primary tensions rocking the APC in several states ahead of preparations for the 2027 general elections.