By joshua 
Kogi West Mobilizer, Hon. Idris Lokoja Rejects Endorsement, Declares Karimi ‘God’s Candidate’ for 2027
A Grassroots mobilizer and APC chieftain in Lokoja LGA, Hon. Idris Lokoja, has rejected the purported endorsement of Hon. Samuel Bamidele Aro, insisting that Senator Sunday Steve Karimi remains the preferred candidate for the Kogi West senatorial race in 2027.
In a statement issued to journalists on Tuesday, Lokoja described the endorsement of Aro by a group claiming to represent APC stakeholders in Kogi West as “unacceptable, will not stand, and is hereby considered null and void.”
“The people of Kogi West have already spoken. Senator Sunday Steve Karimi is God’s endorsed candidate for the Kogi West Senatorial seat ahead of the 2027 general elections, and his re-election is sacrosanct. There is no going back,” the statement read.
Lokoja said Karimi’s performance since assuming office in 2023 had earned him strong support across the district. He cited Karimi’s visibility in the constituency and his sponsorship of motions and bills on infrastructure, education, and security.
“Senator Karimi remains the only aspirant with the capacity to deliver a seamless win for the APC in the senatorial election and to mobilize overwhelming support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027,” he said.
Lokoja said his endorsement of Karimi followed weeks of consultations across the seven LGAs of Kogi West.
“Senator Karimi has maintained visibility in his constituency and recognized the teeming youths and women. His scholarship program for 4,000 tertiary institution students is one reason he remains our choice for 2027,” Lokoja said.
“The youths and women are ready to massively vote for Senator Sunday Karimi during the primary process,” he stated.
While noting that other aspirants were free to contest, Lokoja said the group would mobilize massively for Karimi at the primaries. He appealed to the National and Kogi State APC secretariats to either adopt Karimi as a consensus candidate, citing his right of first refusal, or ensure a free, fair, and credible primary election.
Lokoja outlined his position in three points: rejecting Aro’s endorsement, affirming Karimi as the candidate to beat, and urging party faithful to disregard the purported endorsement.
Karimi won the Kogi West seat in 2023 on the APC platform. The district covers Lokoja, Kogi/Koton Karfe, Kabba/Bunu, Ijumu, Yagba East, Yagba West, and Mopamuro LGAs.
“I back Senator Karimi for 2027 Senate re-election. No going back,” Lokoja concluded.