OKENE — Marking a high-profile return to the absolute forefront of regional electoral politics, the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, has emerged victorious in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the Kogi Central Senatorial district.
The decisive internal victory completely clears the path for the former governor to fly the ruling party's flag as its official senatorial candidate in the highly anticipated 2027 general elections. The direct primary exercise, conducted transparently across all five local government areas constituting the senatorial district, concluded with a massive, landslide vote count that solidifies his grassroots political influence.
The Landslide Mandate: An Overwhelming Sweep Across the District
The formal declaration of results was executed at the central collation center in Okene by the designated APC Returning Officer, Dr. Sadiq Mohammed. Describing the entire direct primary process as exceptionally orderly, credible, and a true reflection of internal party democracy, Dr. Mohammed detailed a statistical margin of victory that left Bello's opponents with virtually no footing.
Out of the total valid ballots cast across the senatorial zone, Yahaya Bello polled an astronomical 72,399 votes. His closest competitors trailed exponentially far behind, with Ibrahim Adoke capturing a meager 319 votes, while Momoh Yusuf Obaro finished a distant third after garnering just 188 votes.
The analytical breakdown of the local government area returns underscores Bello's widespread dominance, particularly within his traditional political strongholds. In Adavi Local Government Area, the former governor locked down a substantial 18,341 votes, while smoothly securing 10,298 votes from the electorate in Ajaokuta Local Government Area.
The pattern of total dominance continued into Ogori Local Government Area, where he garnered 5,146 votes, drastically widening the gap between himself and the other aspirants. In Okehi Local Government Area, party faithful delivered 8,943 votes to his tally, before the final, massive surge of 29,621 votes was announced from Okene Local Government Area solidifying Okene as the absolute bedrock of his grassroots political apparatus.
The Road to 2027: Setting the Stage for a High-Stakes Senatorial Battle
This primary victory carries immense strategic significance for the political landscape of North-Central Nigeria. By securing the official APC ticket, Yahaya Bello officially moves past his post-gubernatorial transitional phase, answering the sustained calls from his home constituents and party elders to represent the district at the National Assembly in Abuja.
The landslide result positions him for a direct, high-stakes democratic showdown in the 2027 general elections against the incumbent senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who made history during the previous electoral cycle. Political analysts observe that Bello’s massive numbers across the five local government areas signal that the APC machinery in Kogi State is fully united and operating at maximum capacity.
With his official emergence as the senatorial flagbearer, the focus now shifts entirely toward building comprehensive inter-party strategies, reconciliation with minor internal factions, and engineering a high-volume general election campaign designed to return Kogi Central to the APC column on the floor of the red chamber.
