Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the nomination of Senator Sunday Karimi as All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Kogi West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, declaring Samuel Bamidele Aro the winner of the party’s primary.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the judgment on Wednesday in a suit filed by Aro, who challenged the party’s decision to submit Karimi’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) despite his claim to have won the primary election held on May 18, 2026.
The court held that the primary election that produced Aro was valid, having been conducted by the APC’s National Working Committee election committee and monitored by INEC.
However, the judge ruled that the purported primary that produced Karimi was invalid because it was not monitored by the electoral commission as required by the Electoral Act.
Justice Ibrahim said, “There is no gainsaying that the purported primary that produced the 2nd defendant was not monitored by the 3rd defendant as required by the Electoral Act and therefore, invalid.”
The judge also noted that INEC had no record of the results presented to establish Karimi’s emergence as the party’s candidate and had not issued certified copies of the purported results despite an application.
Consequently, the court declared the APC’s submission of Karimi’s name to INEC null and void and ordered the party to immediately forward Aro’s name to the commission as its candidate for Kogi West.
INEC was also directed to accept, recognise and publish Aro’s name, while Karimi was restrained from presenting himself as the party’s candidate for the senatorial district.
The suit followed the APC’s submission of Karimi’s name to INEC on July 11, 2026, after the party’s primary election.
During the proceedings, counsel to Karimi, the APC and INEC challenged the competence of the suit, arguing that it was filed outside the 14-day period allowed for pre-election matters under the Constitution.
However, the court granted the reliefs sought by Aro.
Reacting to the judgment, Karimi rejected the ruling, describing it as contrary to the evidence presented before the court.
He alleged that the judge departed from previous decisions on similar pre-election matters and insisted that Aro did not participate in the party’s primary election.
Karimi said he would exercise his constitutional right of appeal, adding that he remained committed to pursuing his political ambition.
He also urged his supporters to remain calm while the legal process continued.
The judgment effectively recognises Aro as the APC’s Kogi West senatorial candidate, subject to any further decision by an appellate court.
The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the nomination of Senator Sunday Karimi as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Kogi West Senatorial District in the 2027 general election, declaring Samuel Bamidele Aro the winner of the party’s primary.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Salim Ibrahim delivered the judgment on Wednesday in a suit filed by Aro, who challenged the party’s decision to submit Karimi’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) despite his claim to have won the primary election held on May 18, 2026.
The court held that the primary election that produced Aro was valid, having been conducted by the APC’s National Working Committee election committee and monitored by INEC.
However, the judge ruled that the purported primary that produced Karimi was invalid because it was not monitored by the electoral commission as required by the Electoral Act.
Justice Ibrahim said, “There is no gainsaying that the purported primary that produced the 2nd defendant was not monitored by the 3rd defendant as required by the Electoral Act and therefore, invalid.”
The judge also noted that INEC had no record of the results presented to establish Karimi’s emergence as the party’s candidate and had not issued certified copies of the purported results despite an application.
Consequently, the court declared the APC’s submission of Karimi’s name to INEC null and void and ordered the party to immediately forward Aro’s name to the commission as its candidate for Kogi West.
INEC was also directed to accept, recognise and publish Aro’s name, while Karimi was restrained from presenting himself as the party’s candidate for the senatorial district.
The suit followed the APC’s submission of Karimi’s name to INEC on July 11, 2026, after the party’s primary election.
During the proceedings, counsel to Karimi, the APC and INEC challenged the competence of the suit, arguing that it was filed outside the 14-day period allowed for pre-election matters under the Constitution.
However, the court granted the reliefs sought by Aro.
Reacting to the judgment, Karimi rejected the ruling, describing it as contrary to the evidence presented before the court.
He alleged that the judge departed from previous decisions on similar pre-election matters and insisted that Aro did not participate in the party’s primary election.
Karimi said he would exercise his constitutional right of appeal, adding that he remained committed to pursuing his political ambition.
He also urged his supporters to remain calm while the legal process continued.
The judgment effectively recognises Aro as the APC’s Kogi West senatorial candidate, subject to any further decision by an appellate court.
