Breaking: Former Governor Yahaya Bello Secures APC Senatorial Ticket Amid EFCC Corruption Case
- Yahaya Bello has won the APC primary election for Kogi Central Senatorial District with 72,349 votes
- The former Kogi state governor's closest rival, Ibrahim Yakubu Adoke, received only 315 votes
- Results were announced by Returning Officer Dr Sadiq Mohammed on May 18, 2026
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Kogi State - Former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has been declared winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the Kogi Central Senatorial District.
Bello scored a total of 72,349 votes to defeat his closest opponents, Ibrahim Yakubu Adoke, who polled 315 votes, and Momoh Yusuf Obaro, who gathered 188 votes.
Yahaya Bello gets APC senatorial ticket
The Returning Officer, Dr Sadiq Mohammed, announced the results on Monday, May 18, 2026.
Mohammed said the former governor polled the total number of votes across the five local government areas in the senatorial district.
According to the declared results, Bello recorded the following votes: Adavi, 18,341; Ajaokuta, 10,298; Ogori, 5,146; Okehi, 8,943; and Okene, 29,621.
The former governor is likely to battle it out with the current senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduagha of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2027 general election.
It is gathered that the incumbent senator Kogi West Senatorial District, Sunday Karimi, is in early lead as results continue to trickle in.
Senator Smart Adeyemi, Samuel Bamidele Aro and other frontline aspirants withdrew from the race, shortly before the conclusion of the exercise.
Senator Karimi is reportedly edging closer to victory following the withdrawal of other aspirants.
It's a different story in Kogi East, as the incumbent senator, Jibrin Isah Echocho, is reportedly trailing behind his rival, Dr Joe Erico Ameh.
Erico is reportedly the preferred candidate of influential APC stakeholders within the state.
Echocho reportedly scored two votes to lose in his Dekina Local Government Area, to Erico, who polled 19,805 votes.
Yahaya Bello: Natasha reacts to N1bn payment order
Recall that Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan rejected the Kogi High Court's N1 billion defamation ruling against her.
The court found Akpoti-Uduaghan's comments on Yahaya Bello defamatory and issued a perpetual injunction.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan plans to appeal the Lokoja court's judgment, asserting her statements were in the public interest.
Read more stories on Yahaya Bello:
- Court Approves Yahaya Bello’s Request to Travel Amid Fraud Case
- Bello’s Trial: EFCC Witness Narrates How N46.5m was Transferred to American Int’l School
- Yahaya Bello Backs ADC Lawmaker Leke Abejide for 3rd Term, Urges Yagba Voters to Re-elect Him
- VDM Goes Hard, Backs Yahaya Bello’s Senate Ambition While Shading Natasha Akpoti
- EFCC vs Yahaya Bello: Nigerian Lawmaker Predicts Outcome of Alleged Corruption Trial
Fraud: EFCC witness clears Ex-Kogi governor Bello
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that Olomotane Egoro, EFCC prosecution witness and Access Bank compliance officer, testified about the over ₦109 million withdrawn from Kogi local government accounts.
The Federal Capital Territory High Court admitted 13 bank documents provisionally despite objections from defence counsel, with the judge ruling that their evidential value would be decided later.
Egoro confirmed under cross-examination that he found no evidence linking former Governor Yahaya Bello to the transactions either as a beneficiary or as an authorising signatory.
Source: Legit.ng
