Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has secured the APC senatorial ticket for Kogi Central Senatorial District in the party’s primaries held on Monday, May 18, 2026 — a result that came wrapped in controversy, given his ongoing criminal prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the confusion that preceded the exercise over whether he had been properly screened at all.
The Returning Officer, Dr Sadiq Mohammed, declared Bello the winner after announcing his vote totals across the five local government areas of the senatorial district: Adavi, 18,341; Ajaokuta, 10,298; Ogori, 5,146; Okehi, 8,943; and Okene, 29,621. He defeated two other aspirants — Momoh Yusuf Obaro and Ibrahim Yakubu Adoke — in a primary that his critics say was shaped more by the existing political structure than by genuine democratic competition.
The drama that preceded the declaration was significant. Days before the primary, a document from the Kogi APC secretariat surfaced online listing Bello as “not cleared” by the party’s screening committee. Party sources told journalists that the former governor had failed to appear before the screening panel, with allegations that EFCC operatives had been monitoring the vicinity of the screening venue, reportedly causing Bello to avoid the location and travel to Lagos instead. The APC subsequently issued a statement saying Bello had been cleared — a claim that contradicted the leaked document and deepened public confusion. The EFCC did not comment.
The legal backdrop to all of this is serious. Bello is currently fighting two separate criminal cases in Abuja. In the first, the EFCC filed a 19-count charge against him, accusing him of laundering approximately N80.2 billion allegedly diverted from the Kogi State treasury during his tenure as governor between 2016 and 2024. The commission alleged that the funds were moved through private bank accounts and used to buy luxury properties in Nigeria and Dubai. That case is before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In the second case, Bello was charged alongside two co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, with alleged involvement in an N110.4 billion fraud and criminal breach of trust. That trial proceeds before Justice MaryAnne Anenih at the FCT High Court in Maitama. Bello has pleaded not guilty to all charges in both cases, and his legal team has consistently maintained that the prosecution is politically motivated.
With the primary settled, the path is now set for a potential rematch between Bello and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of the PDP, who holds the Kogi Central Senate seat and has announced her intention to seek re-election. Their political rivalry is one of the most colourful in Nigeria today. Natasha is a combative and outspoken senator who has survived repeated pressure — including a high-profile suspension from the Senate that she publicly contested, and a recall attempt she described as orchestrated by Bello and his allies. When INEC rejected that recall process, Natasha issued a pointed statement mocking what she described as anti-democratic forces, specifically naming Bello as one of the most wanted persons by the EFCC.
Her camp’s reaction to Monday’s primary result continued in the same vein — mockery and defiance, framing the APC’s decision to field a corruption-accused candidate as a gift to the PDP ahead of 2027.
The Bello situation raises a broader question about political parties and accountability in Nigeria. No Nigerian law currently bars a person under criminal prosecution — as opposed to conviction — from contesting elections. But the optics of fielding a candidate who is simultaneously standing trial for allegedly looting billions from the public treasury remain uncomfortable, and the APC’s critics say the party’s clearance of Bello reflects a willingness to prioritise political loyalty over democratic integrity.
The 2027 Kogi Central Senate race will be closely watched.