APC Primaries Throw Up Major Upsets as Over 70 NASS Members Lose Return Tickets

Senate plenary

APC Primaries Throw Up Major Upsets as Over 70 NASS Members Lose Return Tickets

LAGOS — The ongoing National Assembly primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have triggered major political upsets across the country, with no fewer than 70 serving lawmakers set to exit the National Assembly after failing to secure return tickets ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The affected lawmakers include senators and members of the House of Representatives who either lost during the primaries, withdrew from the race, stepped down for other aspirants or were disqualified by the party hierarchy.

The APC currently controls 242 seats in the House of Representatives and 88 seats in the Senate, making the outcome one of the biggest political shake-ups within the ruling party in recent years.

Among the lawmakers who will not return is Rep. Donatus Matthew, popularly known as the “Okada Rider,” who was elected under the Labour Party platform to represent Kaura Federal Constituency in Kaduna State before defecting to the APC. He was later disqualified during the APC screening exercise.

Several former Labour Party lawmakers who defected to the APC also failed to secure the party’s tickets during the primaries. They include Esosa Iyawe, who lost the Oredo Federal Constituency ticket in Edo State to Dr. Paddy Iyamu; Senator Neda Imasuen of Edo South; Tochukwu Okere of Imo; Bassey Akiba of Cross River; and Daulyop Fom of Plateau State.

Senators Who Lost Tickets

Among APC senators who will not return to the National Assembly are former Ogun State governor, Senator Gbenga Daniel (Ogun East); Diket Plang (Plateau Central); Osita Izunaso (Imo West); Emmanuel Udende (Benue North-East); Titus Zam (Benue West); Olubiyi Fadeyi (Osun Central); Saliu Mustapha (Kwara Central); and Ned Nwoko (Delta North).

Violence, Protests Trail Primaries

The primaries have also been marred by violence, protests and allegations of manipulation in several states.

In Ondo State, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, SAN, representing Ondo Central, narrowly escaped death after armed thugs reportedly attacked his polling unit in Akure during the senatorial primary.

Eyewitnesses said gunmen invaded the venue at Okilisa Ward 5 and opened fire after it became clear that Adegbonmire was leading the vote count.

The attack caused panic among delegates, party officials, journalists and residents, while some women reportedly sustained injuries in the stampede that followed.

Speaking after the incident, Adegbonmire described the primary as a “complete charade,” alleging that violence and intimidation were deliberately orchestrated against his supporters.

“My supporters were about 400 and there were three lines. They started counting my line first because it was the longest. But while they were counting the other line and it became glaring that we were leading, thugs invaded the place and started shooting,” he alleged.

Another aspirant, Olumuyiwa Adu, also rejected the exercise, accusing armed thugs of hijacking the process and imposing candidates on party members.

Delta Primaries Under Scrutiny

In Delta State, uncertainty surrounded the Senate primary results after the APC National Secretariat faulted state-level declaration of winners.

APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, criticised primary committees for announcing winners directly from state collation centres instead of waiting for ratification by the National Working Committee, NWC, in Abuja.

According to him, the party leadership reserved the right to review complaints and petitions before making final pronouncements on winners and losers.

The development has cast doubts over the reported victories of former Delta State governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta North), Senator Ede Dafinone (Delta Central), and Senator Joel Onowakpo-Thomas (Delta South).

Meanwhile, the APC National Assembly Primaries Appeal Committee in Delta confirmed receiving at least five petitions from aggrieved aspirants challenging the conduct of the exercise.

No Primary Held in Cross River — Aspirants

In Cross River State, Senator Eteng Jones Williams and fellow aspirant Mary Ekpere rejected results circulating online for the Cross River Central Senatorial District, insisting that no primary election took place in any of the 66 wards.

Williams said his team monitored all wards and confirmed that voting never occurred.

Ekpere also alleged exclusion from the process, claiming she neither saw electoral materials nor voted during the exercise.

AbdulRazaq Clinches Kwara Ticket

In Kwara State, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq emerged unopposed in the APC primary for the Kwara Central Senatorial District.

Senator Saliu Mustapha had earlier stepped down and publicly endorsed the governor for the seat.

Benue Senators Suffer Heavy Defeat

In Benue State, two serving senators — Titus Zam (Benue North-West) and Emmanuel Udende (Benue North-East) — lost their return tickets in dramatic fashion.

Retired Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Benjamin Aber, defeated Zam with over 93,000 votes, while former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, staged a political comeback by defeating Udende with more than 131,000 votes.

Both defeated senators rejected the outcome, alleging manipulation and predetermined results.

Kogi, Zamfara, Kaduna Primaries Spark Crisis

At the APC National Secretariat in Abuja, stakeholders from Kogi Central protested against the participation of former Governor Yahaya Bello in the senatorial primary, alleging irregularities and questioning his clearance status.

In Zamfara, senatorial aspirant Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi warned that the APC risked another legal disaster similar to the 2019 Supreme Court ruling that nullified the party’s primaries in the state.

Former Kaduna Assembly Speaker Yusuf Zailani also rejected the Kaduna Central senatorial primary, insisting that no proper election was conducted across the zone.