Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello has returned to Kogi Central, where All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders and supporters gathered to welcome him ahead of the 2027 senatorial election.

The homecoming on Friday, October 2, attracted party members and supporters from the five local government areas that make up the Kogi Central Senatorial District. Reports from the event described the gathering as a show of support for Bello and his bid to represent the district in the Senate.

Bello emerged as the APC candidate for Kogi Central after the party’s May 18, 2026 senatorial primary. The result reported in court proceedings gave Bello 72,399 votes, Ibrahim Yakubu Adoke 319 votes and Momoh Yusuf Obaro 188 votes.

However, Bello’s emergence is currently being challenged in court by Obaro, who is asking the Federal High Court in Abuja to recognise him as the lawful winner of the primary and order the APC to forward his name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo has fixed November 19, 2026, for judgment after lawyers representing the parties adopted their final written addresses. The APC, Bello and INEC are defendants in the case and have urged the court to dismiss Obaro’s claims.

At the homecoming, former Kogi APC Chairman and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abdullahi Bello, described the turnout as evidence of support for the former governor.

He said APC members across the five local government areas were prepared to mobilise behind Bello ahead of the 2027 election and described Kogi Central as a strong base for the party.

Abdullahi Bello also attributed the reception to what he described as achievements recorded during Yahaya Bello’s tenure as governor, particularly in security and infrastructure. His assessment was presented as the view of an APC stakeholder at the event.

He further recalled previous security challenges in parts of Kogi Central and credited the former governor’s administration with improvements in the area. Such claims about the impact of the former administration remain political assessments rather than independently established conclusions from the homecoming.

Bello thanked those who attended the reception and described the turnout as “organic,” “inborn” and “inherent.”

Speaking to journalists at the palace of the Ohinoyi of Ebira Land, the former governor expressed confidence that people in Kogi Central would continue to support the APC and its candidates in the 2027 elections.

He also said he expected the district to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and other APC candidates.

On his Senate ambition, Bello pointed to what he described as the APC’s contributions to infrastructure and development in Kogi State. He said voters were aware of the party’s record and expressed confidence that they would support him and other APC candidates.

Bello also made a strong assertion about the party’s position in the state, describing Kogi as an APC-controlled state and saying the outcome of the 2027 election in Kogi Central was, in his view, already settled in favour of the party.

Those statements represent Bello’s political expectations and should not be taken as a prediction of the election result. The 2027 senatorial election has not yet taken place.

The homecoming comes as the legal dispute over the APC ticket remains unresolved. Obaro's suit seeks, among other reliefs, a declaration that he was the lawful winner of the May 18 primary and an order directing the APC to submit his name to INEC as its candidate.

Until the Federal High Court delivers its judgment, the legal challenge remains an important issue surrounding the APC’s Kogi Central senatorial ticket.

For now, the reception in Kogi Central has provided a public display of support for Bello among sections of the APC structure and his supporters, while the November 19 court date remains a key development in determining the status of the disputed party nomination.

Reporting by TalkNaijaMedia