- The APC National Working Committee reversed primary election results across nine states, restoring tickets to six incumbent senators who had initially lost.
- The PDP, Labour Party, and SDP heavily criticized the decision, labeling it undemocratic and an aberration that makes a mockery of the Electoral Act.
- The APC defended the adjustments as a fair product of its internal appeal mechanisms, dismissing opposition criticisms as interference from fractured political platforms.
The ruling All Progressives Congress has plunged into a major internal crisis following its controversial decision to alter the list of candidates who emerged from its National Assembly primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the sudden development has triggered massive backlash from major opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party, the Labour Party, and the Social Democratic Party, all of whom have raised serious concerns regarding internal democracy and the transparency of the ruling party’s selection process.
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The decision to override the initial outcomes of the May primaries came after the party’s National Primary Election Appeal Commission reviewed multiple petitions arising from the exercises, leading to the substitution of several winners with incumbent lawmakers and other favored individuals.
According to reports circulating across the political landscape, the National Working Committee of the ruling party effectively overturned the democratic victories of several senatorial aspirants across nine states.
The states heavily affected by this sweeping review include Kogi, Abia, Benue, Taraba, Ondo, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, and Ebonyi. In executing these changes, the NWC restored the tickets of six serving senators who had initially lost their primary bids, a move that has sparked widespread outrage and legal concerns among local chapters.
Among the prominent lawmakers who regained their tickets through this administrative intervention are Senators Sunday Karimi of Kogi West, Emmanuel Udende of Benue North-East, Titus Zam of Benue North-West, Shuaibu Isa Lau of Taraba North, Adeniyi Adegbonmire of Ondo Central, and Olajide Ipinsagba of Ondo North.
Additionally, Prince Paul Ikonne, the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, was used to replace Edinburgh Erondu in the Abia South senatorial ticket.
One of the most significant political casualties of this review was the former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, whose hard-fought victory in the Benue North-East primary was nullified to clear the path for the incumbent, Senator Udende.
This drastic overhaul has created widespread uncertainty, especially given prior warnings from the Independent National Electoral Commission that it would reject any candidate lists that did not emerge from valid, commission-monitored primary elections.
Seizing on the visible rancor within the ruling party, the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party mocked the situation, describing it as a testament to the deep-seated confusion and lack of transparency within the APC administration.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, expressed delight at the development, noting that the ruling party’s internal friction presents a perfect opportunity for the opposition to reclaim power in 2027.
Mohammed recalled that the presidency had previously gloated over the PDP’s past internal challenges, making it natural for the opposition to welcome the current state of disarray within the APC.
He added that the PDP remains completely open to welcoming aggrieved, highly placed politicians who feel cheated by their parties, pointing out that notable figures like Professor Iyabo Obasanjo and Professor Isa Pantami had already aligned with their fold.
In a similar vein, the Labour Party strongly condemned the candidate substitution, describing it as a blatant aberration and a complete mockery of the nation’s Electoral Act.
The LP National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, emphasized that democratic principles require political parties to respect the outcomes of valid primaries, stating firmly that the Labour Party has never supplanted its rightful winners.
Asogwa noted that a lack of legal repercussions for similar ticket hijacking ahead of the 2023 elections, where individuals who did not participate in primaries eventually rose to top positions in the Senate, has emboldened politicians to repeat these undemocratic infractions.
Meanwhile, the African Democratic Congress also weighed in, predicting that the resentment generated by handpicking candidates under the guise of consensus would ultimately lead to the APC’s undoing at the polls.
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, contrasted the situation with his party’s transparent approach, emphasizing that the ADC would never replace a candidate unless through voluntary withdrawal.
Defending the changes, the Social Democratic Party labeled the situation a clear display of the APC’s reckless and anti-democratic tendencies, urging Nigerian voters to take note of the ongoing shenanigans.
However, a different perspective emerged from the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress Publicity Secretary, Osa Director.
Both figures pointed out that political parties possess the constitutional and legal prerogative to determine their flagbearers through internal review mechanisms, backed by standing Supreme Court judgments.
Tanko explained that an appeal process is a standard technicality designed to address anomalies, such as discovering an initially successful candidate possesses an hidden criminal record or lacks integrity.
In response to the intense barrage of criticism, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, dismissed the opposition’s comments, describing platforms like the PDP as highly factionalized entities acting more like non-governmental organizations than real political parties.
Ibrahim insisted that the revised list was born out of fairness, justice, and the recommendations of a proper appeal panel, proving that the party listens to grievances rather than dictating to its members.
He concluded that true party loyalists are good sportsmen who understand that internal contests yield both winners and losers, expressing absolute confidence that the APC remains firmly on track to deliver dividends to Nigerians and secure another mandate.
