2027: KOGI CENTRAL SENATE RACE ROCKED BY CONTROVERSY
APC UNDER MOUNTING PRESSURE TO BAR YAHAYA BELLO AMID EFCC PROBE, ZONING BACKLASH
_By Staff Reporter_
_Abuja | May 1, 2026_
Political tremors are hitting the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State as a coalition of stakeholders from Kogi Central mounts pressure on the National Working Committee to disqualify former Governor Yahaya Bello from the 2027 senatorial race, citing his ongoing EFCC case and fears of deepening political monopoly in the district.
The move comes barely 48 hours after reports confirmed Bello’s interest in picking the party’s Senate nomination form, setting the stage for a high-stakes internal battle that could test the APC’s commitment to equity, internal democracy, and anti-corruption posturing ahead of 2027.
CLEAR YOUR NAME FIRST STAKEHOLDERS DRAW BATTLE LINE
Leading the charge is Elder Sam Amewuru, a prominent APC chieftain and coordinator of the Kogi Central Equity Forum, who addressed journalists in Abuja on Wednesday.
“The APC cannot afford to gamble with its integrity,” Amewuru declared. “We are not convicting anyone. But when a former governor is facing serious corruption allegations before the EFCC, the honorable path is to clear your name first before seeking the people’s mandate. The party must not be seen as a shield for anyone under investigation.”
Amewuru referenced Article 21.3 of the APC Constitution, which empowers the party to bar members whose conduct could bring the APC into “public ridicule or disrepute.”
EFCC CASE CASTS LONG SHADOW
Bello has been under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission over alleged misappropriation of state funds during his 8-year tenure as governor, 2016–2024. While no conviction has been secured, the case remains active in court, with adjournments stretching into 2026.
Legal analysts say the APC faces a dilemma: the Constitution does not bar a candidate under investigation from contesting, but the party’s own guidelines since 2023 have emphasized “moral and ethical suitability” for flagbearers.
“The party must choose between political expediency and institutional credibility,” said Dr. Halima Ozohu-Suleiman, a political analyst at the Centre for Democracy and Development. “Fielding a high-profile figure with an EFCC case hands the opposition a ready-made campaign weapon.”
FEARS OF INTERNAL implosion: “WE’VE SEEN THIS FILM BEFORE
Multiple party insiders, speaking on condition of anonymity, warned that Bello’s entry could reopen old factional wounds in Kogi APC.
“The same forces that clashed during the 2023 governorship primaries are regrouping,” one state exco member said. “If the state government imposes a candidate with unresolved baggage, the backlash could spill into the National Assembly and cost us seats in 2027. We saw what happened when the Senate leadership crisis weakened us in 2019.”
Sources point to lingering resentment over what they call the “Okene dominance” Bello’s local government which produced the governor from 2016–2024, the current Governor, and several appointees.
ZONING AND EQUITY: “CENTRAL IS NOT FOR ONE LGA
Kogi Central comprises 5 LGAs: Okene, Adavi, Okehi, Ajaokuta, and Ogori-Magongo. Stakeholders argue that political offices have been skewed toward Okene since 2016, breeding discontent.
“Kogi Central belongs to all of us, not one local government,” read a communiqué signed by 27 ward chairmen from Adavi, Okehi, and Ajaokuta. “After 8 years of governorship, it is politically unjust and morally indefensible for the same axis to also take the Senate seat. The people are not political slaves. We will resist imposition through every lawful means.”
The group is pushing for the seat to rotate to either Okehi, Adavi, Ajaokuta or Ogori-Magongo.
UNRESOLVED CONTROVERSIES RESURFACE
Beyond the EFCC case, stakeholders listed other grievances they want the NWC to consider:
1. Party Primaries Fallout, 2023: Alleged manipulation of delegate lists that led to defections before the governorship poll.
2. State Assembly Crisis, 2022: The impeachment saga that paralyzed the House for months.
3. 2019 Election Incidents: Clashes in Kogi Central that drew condemnation from civil society.
“These are not personal attacks,” Amewuru stressed. “They are institutional questions. If APC wants to win Kogi Central clean, it must field a candidate without excess baggage.”
APC NWC AT A CROSSROADS
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, told Frontline Report that “all aspirants will be screened in line with the party constitution and the Electoral Act,” but declined comment on Bello specifically.
With nomination forms sales expected to besold to YahayaBello, the next 6 months will define whether the APC prioritizes internal discipline or star power.
For many voters in Kogi Central, the mood was captured in graffiti spotted on the Okene–Lokoja road this week:
2027: ENOUGH OF IMPOSITION. POWER MUST ROTATE.
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