Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress has removed former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam and former House of Representatives member Gbenga Elegbeleye from the party's final list of National Assembly candidates for the 2027 general elections, replacing 26 aspirants across nine states following a review of petitions from the party's primary elections.
The revised list, which affects seven senatorial districts and 19 House of Representatives constituencies, was formally transmitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission through a joint letter signed by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru. The correspondence, titled "Forwarding of Approved List of Senatorial and House of Representatives Candidates," stated that the changes were made following recommendations by the party's internal dispute resolution mechanism after a comprehensive review of the nomination process.
The affected states are Kogi, Abia, Benue, Taraba, Ondo, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna and Ebonyi. The ruling party emphasized that the replacements strictly complied with national electoral guidelines, stating: "In accordance with the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) and INEC's regulations and guidelines, we hereby transmit the enclosed list of the approved candidates for seven senatorial districts and 19 House of Representatives constituencies for your records and necessary action."
In Benue North East, former Governor Gabriel Suswam was replaced by Emmanuel Memga Udende, while in Benue North West, Titus Tartenger Zam substituted Benjamin T. Aber. In Ondo State, Gbenga Elegbeleye lost his Ondo North senatorial ticket to Olajide Ipinsagbe, just as Taiwo Fasorati was substituted by Adeniyi Adegbonmire for Ondo Central. Other high-profile substitutions include Kogi West, where Senator Sunday Karimi replaced Aro Samuel Bamidele; Abia South, where Prince Paul Ikonne replaced Edinburgh Uchenna Erondu; and Taraba North, where Shuibu Isa Lau replaced Mohammed Kabir Bello.
The clean sweep heavily impacted House of Representatives tickets across the federation. In Benue State alone, five victorious candidates were swapped out, including Ikper Chris Terfa (Makurdi/Guma), who was replaced by Dickson Tarkighir, and Livinus Tsar Adzor (Vandekiya/Konshisha), replaced by Sesoo Ikpagher. Other Benue substitutions include Terser Ugbor replacing Kohol Shedrach Iornem in Kwande/Ushongo, Sekav Dzua Iyortyom replacing Gideon Inyom in Buruku, and Austin Asema Achado replacing Nongo David in Gwer East/Gwer West.
Ondo State recorded a high casualty rate, with six federal constituency tickets altered. Notably, Donald Ojogo replaced Akingboye Leke in Ilaje/Ese-Odo, Festus Olarewaju replaced Rasaq Obe in Idanre, Oluwatimehin Akintomide replaced Kayode Ijalana in Owo/Ose, Okunjinmi John Odimayo replaced Olumuyiwa Daramola in Okitipupa/Irele, Michel Olamidotun Akintomide substituted Abiola Makinde in Ondo West/Ondo East, and Festus Ayodele Adefiranye replaced Oyerinmade Matthew in Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo/Odigbo.
In Taraba, Peter Abel Diah replaced Sanusi Mohammed Galadima in Gashaka/Kurmi/Sardauna. In Niger, Abubakar Lado Abdullahi substituted Adamu Tanko in Suleja/Tafa/Gurara, while Adamu Suleiman replaced Adamu Usman in Lavun/Edati/Mokwa. In Kwara, Raheem Tunji Olawuyi replaced Olasumbo Florence Oyeyemi in Ekiti/Irepodun/Oke-Ero, and Mohammed Mamman substituted Bello Tauheed Abubakar in Edu/Patigi/Moro. In Kaduna, Abdulazeez Kaka replaced Samaila Abdu Suleiman in Kaduna North. In Abia, Samuel Okezie replaced Chris Nkwonta in Ukwa East/Ukwa West. In Ebonyi, Ekumankama Joseph Nkama replaced Iduma Igariwey Enwo in Afikpo North/Edda.
The development is expected to reshape the APC's National Assembly contests in the affected states as the party moves to resolve disputes arising from its primaries. The changes have particularly heightened tensions in Benue State, where the dropping of Suswam has sparked controversy. Suswam, a former governor who defected to the APC in 2025, was a high-profile candidate whose removal has raised questions about internal party dynamics and the influence of the party's national leadership in the state's electoral contests.
The APC leadership maintained that the changes were necessary to ensure the party fields the most competitive candidates in the 2027 elections. The party's National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, signed the correspondence to INEC, emphasizing that the substitutions were made in compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC's regulations and guidelines.
The final list also includes several high-profile candidates who retained their tickets, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, and Senator Adams Oshiomhole. Four state governors — AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Hope Uzodimma of Imo, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, and Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe — were also cleared to contest Senate seats. Former Kaduna Governor Mukhtar Yero, Senator Shehu Sani, and Senator Sunday Katung were cleared for Senate seats in Kaduna State, while former Kogi Governor Yahaya Bello secured the party's ticket for Kogi Central Senatorial District.
For the House of Representatives, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Mudashiru Obasa, and James Faleke are among the candidates to fly the APC flag. Political parties are expected to upload the names and particulars of their presidential and National Assembly candidates on INEC's nomination portal between 9 a.m. from June 27 to 6 p.m. July 10, when the window for submissions closes.
📩 Stone Reporters News | 🌍 stonereportersnews.com
✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com | 📘 Facebook: Stone Reporters News | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments