From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
Chief Momoh Yusuf Obaro, an Aspirant of Kogi Central APC Senatorial Seat in the just concluded primary election held on Monday, has raised petition to the Appeal Committee Chairman for nullification of the results.
Chief Obaro in his petition made available to journalists in Lokoja, alleges gross irregularities, violence, unlawful candidacy, and falsification of results, Obaro in his formal petition submitted to the National Working Committee is also challenging the integrity, conduct, and declared outcomes of the Kogi Central Senatorial Primary Election held on May 18, 2026.
The exercise he alleged was completely subverted by severe procedural breaches, a total lack of stakeholder engagement, widespread violence against our agents, and the participation of an unqualified candidate.
In his strong worded petition “Crucially, while the official channels were abandoned to fabricate figures on social media, our field agents successfully recorded and preserved the authentic votes cast by party members.
“We present these true figures herein and pray for the immediate nullification of the fraudulent results, a review of our evidence, and the recognition of the authentic, democratic will of the Kogi Central electorate.
“Ground 1: Total Failure of Electoral Due Process and Stakeholder Engagement
The bedrock of any democratic primary is transparency and strict adherence to party guidelines.
The newly constituted Election Committee completely abandoned these principles:
• Concealment of the Committee: Upon their arrival, the Election Committee isolated themselves inside the Government House, denying access to all legitimate aspirants while opening their doors exclusively to their preferred, handpicked candidates.
• Zero Engagement: Standard electoral procedure requires the committee to engage openly with all aspirants and stakeholders, release official election guidelines, and introduce the designated electoral officers. None of these mandatory steps took place, keeping the process entirely shrouded in secrecy.
“Ground 2: Absolute Absence of Statutory Oversight and Neutral Security
An election cannot be deemed credible without the presence of official, neutral regulators and state security:
• No INEC or Police Presence: There were no officials from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or the Nigerian Police Force present to monitor, validate, or secure the various election venues.
• Partisan Militia Deployment: In place of official security agencies, armed local
vigilante groups were deployed. These individuals acted exclusively as aggressive escorts for the committee’s preferred candidates, creating an environment of fear, intimidation, and state-backed coercion.
“Ground 3: Systemic Violence, Intimidation, and Assault on Agents
Despite these severe irregularities, and in a determined bid to protect the democratic process, I instructed my campaign team—comprising 114 Ward Coordinators/Polling Agents, 5 Local
Government Collation Agents, and my Director of Campaign (serving as the Senatorial Collation Agent)—to cast their votes and peacefully protect the mandate.
In response, they were met with brutal hostility:
• My agents and loyal party supporters were subjected to severe harassment,
intimidation, and targeted physical assaults.
• Several of these violent infractions were formally reported to the Police, and official station diary entries/incident reports exist.
• The Evidence: Despite the hostile environment, our agents successfully captured photographic and video evidence of the actual voting process and the real results at various polling units, which are attached to this petition. The videos will be provided on request.
“Ground 4: Unlawful Candidacy (Participation of an Uncleared Individual)
• Ineligibility of H.E. Yahaya Bello: His Excellency, Yahaya Bello, ought not to have appeared on the ballot for this primary election. He was not cleared by the party’s screening committee to participate in this specific exercise. Allowing an uncleared individual to participate actively compromises the legality of the entire primary and invalidates any numbers allocated to him.
“Ground 5: Disappearance of Officials and Concoction of Results
The final phase of the primary confirmed a premeditated plot to subvert the will of the Kogi Central APC electorate:
• Abscondment of Returning Officers: Immediately after voting concluded on the field, the Returning Officers vanished. My Local Government and Senatorial collation agents
“We immediately visited the designated collation centres, only to find them completely deserted.
• Social Media Declarations: The electoral officials later re-emerged exclusively on social media channels to announce completely fabricated, concocted results. The declared figures bear absolutely no resemblance to the actual votes cast on the ground.
The Authentic Election Results (As Collated by Field Agents)
Despite the chaos and the subsequent abandonment of collation centres by officials, our 114 polling agents successfully documented and verified the actual votes cast across the five (5)
Local Government Areas. Certified True Summary of Votes Cast:
S/N Candidate Name
Valid Votes Received
1. Chief Momoh Yusuf Obaro 44,270
2. H.E. Yahaya Bello
20,092
3. Mallam Ibrahim Yakubu Adoke 1,985
Detailed Breakdown Local Government by Local Government:
Local Government Area
(LGA)
Chief Momoh Yusuf
Obaro
H.E. Yahaya
Bello
Ibrahim Yakubu
Adoke
Adavi LGA
13,168
4,286
622
Okene LGA
20,602
8,820
1,084
Ogori/Magongo LGA
3,503
1,956
126
Okehi LGA
4,696
4,109
51
Ajaokuta LGA
5,169
3,493
151
TOTALS
44,270
20,092
1,985
“Note: These authentic figures are fully backed by photographic copies of the original unit result sheets taken at the time of the election process, attached hereto as Annexure A.
“Conclusion & Prayers
The events of May 18, 2026, did not constitute a democratic election; they were a coordinated assault on the constitution of the All Progressives Congress, the Electoral Act and the rights of its members in Kogi Central.
We hereby pray that the National Working Committee (NWC) uses its good offices to:
“Nullify and Reject the fraudulent, concocted results currently circulating on social media.
“Review the photographic and video evidence of the actual results, alongside the official police reports of assault, submitted with this petition.
“Uphold and Declare the authentic results collated from the fields which clearly show Chief Momoh Yusuf Obaro as the democratically elected candidate of the APC for the Kogi Central Senatorial District, OR in the alternative
“Order a Fresh, Credible, and Transparent Primary Election for the Kogi Central Senatorial District to be strictly overseen by an unbiased committee, neutral federal security agencies, and properly accredited INEC officials.
We trust in the commitment of the NWC to justice, internal party democracy, and the preservation of the integrity of our great party.
