Confusion as Yahaya Bello appears ‘not cleared’ in APC Senate screening

A document circulating within the APC in Kogi State has listed former Governor Yahaya Bello as “not cleared” for the party’s senatorial primaries, deepening uncertainty over his ambition amid his ongoing EFCC corruption trial.

Fresh confusion has emerged within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State after a screening document surfaced showing former Governor Yahaya Bello as “not cleared” to contest the party’s senatorial primaries for Kogi Central.

The document, which circulated on Monday and was reportedly linked to the APC secretariat in Kogi State, listed Mr Bello among screened aspirants but carried the remark “NOT CLEARED.”

The development comes days after earlier reports indicated that the former governor had been screened and cleared alongside other aspirants contesting for senatorial tickets across the state.

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported that the APC screening committee approved 17 aspirants for the primaries scheduled for Monday, with Mr Bello’s name appearing among cleared contenders for the Kogi Central Senatorial District.

However, party sources familiar with the screening process told Sahara Reporters that the former governor was eventually disqualified after allegedly failing to appear before the screening panel.

One APC source told SaharaReporters that Mr Bello “didn’t participate in the screening exercise” and was therefore not cleared.

Another source claimed the former governor avoided the screening due to questions about ongoing criminal investigations and court cases.

The source alleged that one question on the APC screening form required aspirants to disclose any pending criminal investigations or prosecutions.

“The APC Kogi senatorial screening report shows Yahaya Bello isn’t cleared. This is because he didn’t want to be judged by question seven in the APC senatorial form, which has to do with the disclosure of ongoing criminal investigations,” the source reportedly said.

The source further alleged that operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were monitoring activities around the screening venue, although the anti-graft agency has not commented on the claim.

Mr Bello is seeking the APC ticket to challenge the incumbent senator, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2027 election.

The former governor’s senatorial ambition has remained controversial because of his ongoing corruption trials before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The EFCC is prosecuting him in two separate cases involving allegations of money laundering, criminal breach of trust, and diversion of public funds.

In one case, the commission filed a 19-count charge accusing Mr Bello of laundering about ₦80.2 billion allegedly diverted from the Kogi State treasury during his tenure as governor.

The anti-graft agency alleged that the funds were moved through multiple bank accounts and used to acquire luxury properties in Nigeria and Dubai.

The case is being heard before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The trial has featured testimonies from bank officials and other witnesses over alleged structured cash transactions designed to evade financial reporting regulations.

In another case, the EFCC accused Mr Bello and two co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, of involvement in an alleged ₦110.4 billion fraud and criminal breach of trust.

The former governor has consistently denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The corruption allegations against Mr Bello have continued to shape political debates around his return to elective office.

Last week, Sahara Reporters reported that youths from Kogi Central warned the APC leadership against granting preferential treatment to any aspirant during the screening process, insisting that transparency and internal democracy must be upheld.

There were also claims that Governor Ahmed Ododo was reluctant to openly support Mr Bello’s senatorial ambition because of concerns over the corruption cases and possible political implications for the party.

Sources familiar with the matter alleged that the governor may have received signals from the Presidency to distance himself from the bid, though no official confirmation has been issued.

As of the time of filing this report, the APC had not issued an official clarification on the conflicting reports surrounding Mr Bello’s screening status.