A Federal High Court in Abuja nullifies Senator Sunday Karimi’s APC nomination for the 2027 election in Kogi West and orders the party to replace him with Samuel Aro. The court directs INEC to accept, recognise and publish Aro as the APC candidate, ruling that Karimi’s primary was invalid because it was not monitored by INEC as required by the Electoral Act.

The court’s decision follows Aro’s legal challenge after APC submitted Karimi’s name to INEC on July 11, 2026, despite Aro’s claim that he won the party primary held on May 18, 2026. The judge rejects the results APC and Karimi presented, citing that the figures were not from an INEC-monitored election and that INEC had no record of them.

Outlets diverge mainly in emphasis: Nigerian Eye focuses on the court’s orders and the court’s reasoning on INEC monitoring and the submitted results. The Punch highlights Karimi’s reaction and plans to appeal, while Vanguard reports that an APC-linked grassroots group insists Karimi still won the primary.