APC drops National Assembly candidates from its final INEC list after reviewing appeals from the party’s primary elections ahead of 2027 polls
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dropped 25 National Assembly candidates from its final list submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) following a review of petitions arising from the party’s primary elections.
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The affected candidates comprise six senatorial aspirants and 19 House of Representatives candidates whose names were replaced after the APC drops National Assembly candidates decision was approved by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC).
Among those removed from the final list are former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, and former House of Representatives member from Ondo State, Gbenga Elegbeleye.
The changes were communicated to INEC in a letter jointly signed by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru.
The letter explained that the revised list followed recommendations contained in the report of the party’s Primary Election Appeal Committee.
“We write to formally forward the attached list of the party’s candidates for the affected senatorial and House of Representatives constituencies arising from the report of the Primary Election Appeal Committee,” the party stated.
“Following the determination of appeals from the recently concluded primary elections, the reports of the Appeal Committee were reviewed and subsequently considered and approved by the party’s NWC as its final position on the affected constituencies.”
According to the APC, the affected constituencies are spread across Abia, Benue, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo and Taraba states.
The party said the revised nominations comply with the provisions of the amended Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s regulations and guidelines governing candidate submissions.
The latest adjustments come as political parties race to meet INEC’s deadline for uploading particulars of presidential and National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections.
Despite the changes, several prominent APC figures remain on the party’s final list.
They include Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno, and Senator Adams Oshiomhole, all of whom have received their Candidate Affidavit Forms (EC9).
Four serving governors also retained their senatorial tickets.
They are AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State and Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State.
Other notable candidates include former Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Yero, Senator Shehu Sani, Senator Sunday Katung, and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who secured the APC ticket for Kogi Central Senatorial District.
For the House of Representatives, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Mudashiru Obasa and James Faleke also remain among the party’s candidates.
The candidate review followed the ratification of the APC’s April primary elections and a subsequent assessment of appeal committee reports before submission to INEC.
Speaking on the process, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka said the party had received more than 700 petitions from aggrieved members after the primaries.
“Our immediate priority is to ensure that our candidates complete their forms and meet INEC’s deadline. This is more important to us than the public release of the candidates’ list,” Morka said.
INEC opened its Candidate Nomination Portal on June 27 for the submission of presidential and National Assembly candidates, with political parties expected to complete the process before the deadline of July 10.
Ahead of the exercise, the electoral commission organised training for party officials on the use of its Candidate Nomination Portal to ensure compliance with legal and procedural requirements.
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The revision of candidate lists highlights the growing role of internal appeal mechanisms within political parties as preparations intensify for Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
