The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled November 19, 2026, to rule on a suit filed against Yahaya Bello's senatorial bid. The suit, instituted by Momoh Yusuf Obaro, an APC senatorial aspirant in Kogi Central, challenges the outcome of the party's May 18, 2026, primary election. Obaro claims he was unfairly denied the opportunity to emerge as the party's candidate.
Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo fixed the date after counsel representing the parties adopted their final written addresses in the suit. The plaintiff, Obaro, is asking the court to declare him the lawful winner of the primary and order the APC to forward his name to INEC as its candidate for the Kogi Central senatorial election. He also seeks an order compelling INEC to recognise and publish his name as the APC candidate.
Yahaya Bello, however, has urged the court to dismiss the suit, arguing that the claims made by Obaro are without merit. Bello claimed that he won the primary with 72,399 votes, while Ibrahim Yakubu Adoke came second with 319 votes and Obaro polled 188 votes to finish last among the contestants. Bello described Obaro's assertions as contrived and misleading.
The former governor also argued that the suit is incompetent because it was not supported by an affidavit as required by law. After hearing the arguments of the lawyers for the parties, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until November 19 for judgment. The court's decision will determine whether Bello will be allowed to proceed with his senatorial bid.
Meanwhile, a former Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Convener of the Coalition for Better Kogi State, Dr Tom Ohikere, has renewed calls for the rotation of the state's governorship to Kogi West ahead of the 2028 election. Ohikere argued that equity requires Kogi West to produce the next governor, noting that the district has not occupied the governorship seat since the creation of the state.
Ohikere cited the distribution of governorship positions among the state's senatorial districts, stating that Kogi East has produced governors for 17 years, while Kogi Central has governed for 10 years. He stressed that his position is based on fairness rather than ethnic or sectional considerations and that power rotation would promote justice, peace, and political stability in the state.
The Coalition for Better Kogi State plans to organise a "Kogi Equity, Unity and Rotation National Summit" in Abuja in the third week of October 2026 to push for the rotation of the state's governorship to Kogi West. The summit aims to produce a "Kogi Charter of Equity" for presentation to political parties, INEC, and other relevant stakeholders.
Key points
- The Federal High Court in Abuja will deliver judgment on November 19, 2026, in a suit challenging Yahaya Bello's emergence as the APC senatorial candidate for Kogi Central.
- Dr Tom Ohikere has renewed calls for the rotation of Kogi State's governorship to Kogi West ahead of the 2028 election.
- The Coalition for Better Kogi State plans to organise a national summit to push for the rotation of the state's governorship to Kogi West.
