By Amuda Dan Sulaiman Fab
A Kogi West senatorial aspirant allegedly lost N500 million after reportedly paying a top official of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja who assured him of securing the party’s ticket for the Kogi West Senatorial District.
Multiple sources familiar with the development told NationalWatch that the aspirant had initially announced his withdrawal from the APC senatorial primary election and subsequently posted his withdrawal letter on his Facebook page.
The sources said the aspirant, however, deleted the withdrawal letter shortly afterwards following repeated assurances from the party official that he would still emerge as the APC candidate through an internal arrangement.
According to the sources, the assurances convinced the aspirant to release over N500 million, believing the promised arrangement would guarantee him the party’s ticket despite his withdrawal from the primary election.
The sources further alleged that up till Saturday, the official continued to assure the aspirant that his name would be uploaded on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal as the APC candidate for Kogi West Senatorial District.
Based on the assurances, supporters of the aspirant reportedly flooded social media with posts claiming that their principal had emerged as the APC candidate.
The claims, however, were not supported by any official announcement from either the APC or INEC.
NationalWatch findings, however, indicate that the authentic winner of the APC primary election for Kogi West Senatorial District, Senator Sunday Karimi, has already had his name uploaded on the INEC nomination portal as the party’s candidate.
Following the confirmation of the candidate’s details on the INEC portal, the social media campaign by supporters of the aspirant has largely subsided, with the earlier claims no longer being circulated.
The development has generated widespread interest among political stakeholders in Kogi State, with calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged transaction.
Sources further disclosed that efforts by the aspirant to recover the money have so far proved unsuccessful, while consultations are ongoing on possible legal and political options to seek redress.
