Justice Salim Ibrahim reserved judgment on Monday, October 19, 2026, after hearing submissions from lawyers representing the parties. The court has yet to announce a date for delivering its decision, saying the parties would be informed.

The suit was filed by APC aspirant Aro Samuel Bamidele, who is asking the court to declare him the winner of the party’s May 18, 2026 senatorial primary in Kogi West. He is also seeking an order setting aside the party’s submission of Karimi’s name to INEC as its candidate for the district.

The case was initially instituted at the Federal High Court in Lokoja before being transferred to the Abuja division on security grounds. The APC, Karimi and INEC are listed as defendants.

During Monday’s proceedings, lawyers representing the defendants challenged the timing and validity of the suit, arguing that it was filed outside the period allowed by law for pre-election disputes.

John Olusola Baiyeshea (SAN), counsel to Karimi, argued that the primary was conducted on May 18 and that Karimi’s name was submitted to INEC on June 29. He said Bamidele filed his case in late July, beyond the 14-day limit provided under Section 285(9) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

Baiyeshea maintained that the time limit should be calculated from the event that gave rise to the dispute, rather than from when the plaintiff said he became aware of the submission to INEC.

Karimi’s lawyer also challenged the results presented by Bamidele, alleging that they included figures from President Bola Tinubu’s presidential election results alongside those from the senatorial primary. He said the APC had disowned the results relied upon by the plaintiff.

Baiyeshea further argued that the ward agents listed by Bamidele were associated with the House of Representatives primary rather than the senatorial contest. He also claimed that Bamidele had withdrawn from the race before the primary took place, citing an alleged announcement on the aspirant’s social media account.

Counsel to the APC, A. G. Ivom, similarly argued that the evidence before the court did not establish that Bamidele won the primary. He maintained that the party was responsible for compiling the primary results, while INEC’s role was to observe the process and document its findings.

INEC’s counsel, Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), also urged the court to dismiss the case on the grounds that it was statute-barred.

However, Bamidele’s lawyer, Johnson Usman (SAN), rejected the defendants’ arguments and insisted that his client had evidence, including results obtained from INEC, to support his claim to victory.

Usman acknowledged that the documents tendered by his client included presidential election figures, but argued that the error did not invalidate the case. He urged the court to declare Bamidele the winner of the primary and direct INEC to recognise him as the APC candidate for Kogi West.

The court’s decision will determine the next stage of the dispute over the party’s nomination. Until judgment is delivered, the competing claims about the primary results, Bamidele’s participation and the timeliness of the suit remain arguments presented by the parties rather than findings established by the court.

Reporting by TalkNaija Media