The Kogi West APC Leaders Forum has rejected an invitation from Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo for further talks over the disputed senatorial candidacy, insisting that nothing short of the immediate and unconditional restoration of Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro’s mandate will be acceptable.
The Forum, described as a body of critical leaders in the Kogi West Senatorial District committed to good governance, made its position known in a statement signed by Right Hon. Alfa Imam, former Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly, on behalf of the group.
The dispute traces back to last Saturday, when leaders under the aegis of the Kogi West APC Leaders Forum briefed journalists in Lokoja, the state capital, to voice their opposition to a plan to substitute Hon. Aro as the party’s duly elected candidate for the senatorial seat.
According to the Forum, Aro’s victory in the party’s May 2026 primary election was neither contested behind closed doors nor procedurally questionable. The election, it said, was monitored by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as well as relevant security agencies, and the result was subsequently forwarded to the APC National Headquarters in Abuja. The Forum further stated that the Nigerian Police Force, the Department of State Services, and other security agencies all hold reports on record confirming that Aro won the race.
Following last Saturday’s briefing, the Forum said it received an invitation from Governor Ododo for a dialogue meeting on the matter. In its response, the group made clear that it had no appetite for further discussions.
“With all due respect to His Excellency, the Kogi West Stakeholders Forum has no interest in another round of meetings or diplomatic niceties,” the statement read, adding that the demand for Aro’s reinstatement was “simple and non-negotiable.”
The Forum stressed that its rejection of further talks was not intended as a snub to the Governor, whom it said it holds in high esteem. Instead, it urged him to use his office to engage decisively with the APC National Headquarters to ensure the primary result stands.
“Any attempt to rewrite this outcome is not merely political sharp practice — it is an affront to democracy itself and a betrayal of the trust reposed in the party by the people of Kogi West,” the statement said.
The Forum vowed to continue pressing its case. “We will not relent, and we will not be silenced. Justice for Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro is justice for the people of Kogi West,” it said.
The statement placed direct pressure on Governor Ododo to act, describing the matter as a test of leadership. The Forum said it would not accept a repeat of what it characterized as a betrayal of the will of party members, and cautioned that history would judge any leader who witnessed an injustice unfold without intervening.
Despite the firmness of its demands, the Forum credited Ododo for what it called the humility and dedication with which he has governed the state, saying this record was precisely why it expected him to side with justice in the matter.
The Forum also called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as national leader of the APC, to intervene directly. It urged the President to instruct the party’s National Headquarters to engage Governor Ododo with the aim of resolving the dispute and ensuring that the outcome of the primary election is upheld in full.
The group described the substitution plan as being driven by a “desperate few pursuing narrow, selfish interests” and warned that any attempt to overturn the primary result would amount to more than political maneuvering.
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