“Questions Trail Sudden U-Turn Over Kogi West APC Primary as Zonal Chairman’s Congratulatory Message Resurfaces”
The attention of party faithful, stakeholders, and the general public has been drawn to recent attempts by some individuals to create confusion around the outcome of the Kogi West APC Senatorial Primary Election conducted on the 18th of May, 2026.
While Nigerians and members of the party continue to follow developments with keen interest, it has become necessary to place facts in proper perspective in order to protect the integrity of the democratic process and prevent deliberate misinformation capable of misleading supporters and the public.
It is on public record that shortly after the conclusion of the senatorial primary election, the APC Zonal Chairman, Hon Emmanuel Ayo, issued and circulated an official congratulatory message on the 19th of May, 2026, congratulating Senator Sunday Karimi over his emergence from the exercise. The message was widely circulated across several social media platforms and received by party faithful across Kogi West and beyond.
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This singular action by a highly placed party official naturally reflected acknowledgment of the outcome of the primary election as conducted on the 18th of May, 2026.
It therefore becomes difficult for many observers and concerned stakeholders to understand why there is now pressure on the same leadership structure to defend a completely different narrative contrary to publicly available records and events.
Even more importantly, the individual currently being projected by some interests had reportedly announced his withdrawal from the senatorial race a day before the primary election took place. This development was already within public knowledge before delegates and party officials proceeded with the exercise.
The question many Nigerians are now asking is simple and straightforward: how can someone who publicly withdrew from the process before the election suddenly become the subject of post-primary controversy against a candidate that was openly congratulated by party leadership after the exercise?
Democracy thrives on transparency, consistency, and respect for due process. Political contests should not become avenues where facts are altered after outcomes have already been acknowledged by responsible stakeholders.
There are already existing evidences in the public domain, including videos, photographs, official communications, eyewitness accounts, and statements issued immediately after the primary election. These records cannot simply be ignored in an attempt to satisfy political interests or rewrite the history of the exercise.
Party unity can only be sustained where truth, fairness, and justice prevail. Attempts to introduce contradictions into an already concluded process may only create avoidable tension among supporters and damage the confidence of party faithful who expect leadership to stand by facts and due process.
We therefore call on all stakeholders to remain committed to peace, unity, and the credibility of the party by respecting the integrity of the process and the realities already acknowledged immediately after the primary election.
At this critical moment, the interest of the party and the stability of the democratic process should be placed above personal ambitions or political pressure.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, MAY 19TH 2026)
