A protest on Friday rocked the palace of the Obaro of Kabba, over reports of a planned endorsement meeting for the All Progressives Congress, APC, ticket for the Kogi West Senatorial District.
Eyewitnesses said a lot of constituents trooped to the palace as news spread that traditional rulers were meeting on the directive of the state authorities to endorse a candidate who they claimed did not participate in the party’s primary election.
Footage and accounts from the scene showed youths and party supporters chanting and blocking entry to the palace to stop the meeting from taking place. Later, security personnel were called in to control the crowd and maintain order.
The protesters said any endorsement outside the process recognised by the APC constitution would undermine party unity and disenfranchise members who participated in the primaries.
According to the angry members, the meeting was convened to present another aspirant for royal endorsement when the aspirant did not participate in the APC primary. They stressed the need to respect the mandate of the party’s members, and the neutrality of traditional institutions in partisan contests.
At the time of filing this report, no official endorsement was announced from the palace while the Obaro’s office has not issued a statement.
The Kogi West Senatorial District is arguably one of the most fiercely contested seats in the state with many aspirants jostling to fly the APC flag ahead of the next electoral cycle. Other candidates including Senator Smart Adeyemi, Hon. Sam Aro, Dr Tajudeen Bisimilahi amongst others reportedly pulled out of the race ahead of the May 18th, 2026 APC senatorial primaries with Sen Karimi Sunday emerging victorious at the Primary.
The district comprises seven local government areas namely; Lokoja, Kogi/Koton Karfe, Kabba/Bunu, Ijumu, Yagba East, Yagba West and Mopamuro, and party stakeholders have been calling for a transparent selection process repeatedly.
State officials have not commented on the accusations. Efforts to get reaction from the APC Kogi State Secretariat proved abortive as at the time of going to press.
Some party members at the protest said they were not against royal counsel, but insisted traditional rulers should not be used to ratify outcomes that bypass internal party democracy. Others called for dialogue to avoid a wider rift in the Kogi West APC.
Security intervention made the situation at the Obaro’s palace tense but calm. District party leaders are expected to hold a meeting to address the grievances and clarify the status of the Senate ticket.
