Senator Sunday Karimi's support group has rejected Sam Aro's endorsement as the APC's consensus candidate for Kogi West Senate.
Karimi 2.0 Group called the endorsement a sham. They said it was orchestrated by self-appointed political actors trying to manipulate the process.
Another aspirant, Bisimilahi Tajudeen, also rejected Aro's endorsement. Government appointees had backed Aro at a meeting last Monday.
Danladi Suleiman and Gbenga Adekunle, who coordinate the Karimi group, issued a harsh statement. They dismissed the entire meeting as desperate and undemocratic.
"No gathering of self-appointed stakeholders has the constitutional or moral authority to decide the political future of Kogi West," the statement read. The coordinators argued that only party members and voters can make such decisions.
Karimi 2.0 accused organizers of holding the meeting at a government official's residence. According to them, intimidation and threats were used against political opponents there.
"Threats have no place in democracy," the group's statement emphasized. Democracy, they said, requires participation, consultation, competition, and free choice — not intimidation.
The support group insisted the APC must follow due process in candidate selection. No endorsement outside official party procedures should override the people's will, they argued.
In defending their candidate, Karimi 2.0 highlighted his constituency work across Kogi West's seven local governments. They pointed to his educational interventions, empowerment programmes, and visible projects in the district.
According to the group, Karimi's popularity stems from genuine grassroots acceptance. Thousands of constituents have benefitted from his representation, they claimed.
"No amount of gang-up or scripted communiqués can erase the relationship between the Senator and the people," the group stated. His connection with voters, they insisted, runs deeper than any closed-door arrangement.
Coordinators accused government appointees of circumventing internal party democracy. What they described as "a carefully arranged political script" aimed to intimidate other aspirants and manipulate the political space ahead of 2027.
Karimi 2.0 rejected any notion that political offices are decided in secret meetings. "Only the people of Kogi West will determine who represents them at the Red Chambers from 2027," they declared.
The group urged supporters to remain peaceful and law-abiding throughout the contest. Despite criticism from government circles, they expressed confidence in the eventual outcome.
Political tensions in Kogi APC are intensifying as multiple candidates reject the consensus arrangement. The 2027 Senate race in Kogi West now appears headed toward open competition within the party.
