Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Four sitting members of Nigeria's House of Representatives from Ogun State have lost their bid to return to the National Assembly after the All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted its House of Representatives primaries across the state's nine federal constituencies on Saturday, May 16, 2026. The list of winners and losers, released on Sunday by the party's Publicity Secretary, Femi Nubi, and declared by the Chairman of the Ogun APC House of Representatives Primaries Committee and former Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, confirmed major upsets that have reshaped the party's lineup ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Among the most high-profile casualties is the Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Isiaka Ibrahim, representing the Ifo/Ewekoro Federal Constituency, who was seeking a fourth term. Ibrahim reportedly stepped down from the race at the last minute following intense pressure from party leaders to allow the immediate past Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Motunrayo Adijat Adeleye, to emerge as the consensus candidate. Adeleye, a former two-term member of the Ogun State House of Assembly, had earlier been endorsed by APC leaders in the constituency. Her emergence followed growing agitation for a power shift within the federal constituency, which comprises Ifo and Ewekoro Local Government Areas. Ibrahim, who hails from Ewekoro, had represented the constituency for three consecutive terms, while Adeleye is from Ifo, the larger of the two councils. Adeleye won a sweeping victory across the 21 wards of the federal constituency, polling a total of 25,167 votes, with 17,286 votes from Ifo and 7,881 from Ewekoro.
Other incumbents who failed to secure the party's ticket include Abiodun Akinlade of Ipokia/Yewa South Federal Constituency, who was seeking a fifth term; Tunji Akinosi of Ado-Odo/Ota; Femi Ogunbanwo of Ijebu Ode/Ijebu North East/Odogbolu; and Adesola Elegbeji of Remo Federal Constituency. Elegbeji was elected in August 2025 to complete the tenure of the late Deputy Chief Whip, Adewunmi Onanuga, who died in office in January 2025. The mass defeat of incumbents signals a deliberate shift by party leadership away from long-serving lawmakers towards new candidates, particularly women and younger aspirants.
The primary elections, which were held across the state's 20 local government areas, were largely peaceful and well-organised, drawing massive turnout and commendations from party leaders and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Most of the nine federal constituencies produced winners through consensus arrangements and affirmation processes. Among the victors were Joseph Adegbesan for Ijebu North/Ijebu East/Ogun Waterside; Rasaq Daddah for Ijebu Ode/Ijebu North East/Odogbolu; Mrs Funmi Efuwape for Ikenne/Remo North/Sagamu; Motunrayo Adijat Adeleye for Ifo/Ewekoro; and Dr Toyin Taiwo for Ipokia/Yewa South. Others are Afolabi Afuape for Abeokuta South; Olumide Osoba for Abeokuta North/Odeda/Obafemi-Owode; Gboyega Nasir Isiaka for Imeko-Afon/Yewa North; and Ayobami Bashorun for Ado-Odo/Ota.
Olumide Osoba, son of former Ogun State governor and APC chieftain Aremo Olusegun Osoba, secured the party's ticket unopposed, polling 45,907 votes for a fourth consecutive term. Gboyega Nasir Isiaka retained his seat for a second term, while Afolabi Afuape defeated four challengers in Abeokuta South, polling 12,633 votes. In Remo North, Commissioner for Special Duties Funmilayo Efuwape emerged victorious with 22,452 votes, defeating Adesola Elegbeji who polled only 16 votes, a sign of the scale of her defeat. In Yewa South/Ipokia, Chief of Staff to Governor Dapo Abiodun, Dr Toyin Taiwo, secured a landslide victory with 31,256 votes, leaving Akinlade with just 28 votes.
However, not all winners emerged without controversy. Isiaka Ibrahim, the defeated Deputy Chief Whip, has since accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of imposing an "affirmation" process in favour of a preferred aspirant. He alleged that there was no primary election in his federal constituency because the governor did not allow it, and that he did not lose a primary because none existed. He also circulated videos alleging irregular counting and multiple voting during the exercise. "At Isheri Ojodu, once you're counted in the front, you go back to line up again," he claimed.
Governor Dapo Abiodun, who participated in the primaries in Yewa South, commended members and stakeholders for their loyalty, discipline and commitment. He described the successful conduct of the House of Representatives primary election as the beginning of a series of important party exercises ahead of subsequent primaries for the Senate, House of Assembly, governorship and presidential positions. He also appreciated returning officers, electoral officials, INEC personnel and security agencies for ensuring a peaceful, transparent and inclusive process across the state.
The Ogun APC primaries were part of the party's nationwide exercise to select candidates for the 2027 elections. The results reflect the party's internal calculus, which increasingly favours consensus-building and strategic endorsements over open contests, even at the cost of unseating long-serving incumbents. As the party prepares for the next round of primaries, the list of winners and losers in Ogun State will serve as a critical reference point for understanding the shifting power dynamics within Nigeria's ruling party.
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