INEC, APC may clash over release official Senate list

All Progressives Congress (APC) may be heading for a fresh dispute over its 2027 National Assembly primaries after restoring six serving senators to its senatorial ticket, despite other aspirants earlier being declared winners.
The development comes as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) insists it will reject any candidate submitted by political parties whose names do not match the results of primaries monitored and uploaded by the commission.

Documents showed that the APC National Working Committee, acting on the recommendations of its Primary Election Appeal Committee, reviewed the outcome of senatorial primaries in Kogi, Abia, Benue, Taraba, Ondo, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna and Ebonyi.

The revised list restored the tickets of Senators Sunday Karimi (Kogi West), Emmanuel Udende (Benue North-East), Titus Zam (Benue North-West), Shuaibu Isa Lau (Taraba North), Adeniyi Adegbonmire (Ondo Central) and Olajide Ipinsagba (Ondo North). Prince Paul Ikonne also replaced Edinburgh Erondu as the APC candidate for Abia South.

One of the major reversals affected former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, whose earlier victory in the Benue North-East primary was overturned in favour of incumbent Senator Emmanuel Udende.
The development followed an earlier assurance by Senate President Godswill Akpabio that the APC leadership and President Bola Tinubu would review petitions arising from the party’s primaries.

More than 20 senators, mainly from the APC, either lost their return tickets or failed to secure nominations during the party primaries. They include Benson Agadaga, Garba Maidoki, Banigo Ipalibo, Deputy Senate Leader Oyelola Ashiru, Ned Nwoko, Neda Imasuen, Jibrin Isah, Olubiyi Fadeyi, Danjuma Goje, Gbenga Daniel and Osita Izunaso.

Party sources said the restoration of some lawmakers followed interventions by President Tinubu, governors, traditional rulers and other influential stakeholders to prevent deeper divisions within the APC.
A senior party official said many serving lawmakers were still uncertain of making the final candidate list, noting that governors remained influential in determining who would receive INEC nomination forms.
According to the source, compromises were reached in Ondo State between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, while a similar arrangement was brokered in Benue between Governor Hyacinth Alia and Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume.

Traditional rulers were also said to have influenced decisions in some states. Their intervention reportedly helped Senator Shuaibu Isa Lau regain the Taraba North ticket, while dissatisfaction expressed by monarchs in Kwara South was said to have contributed to Deputy Senate Leader Oyelola Ashiru not being restored.
INEC insists on monitored primary results
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Kudu Haruna said political parties would not be able to submit names different from those recorded during monitored primaries because the commission’s electronic nomination portal would automatically reject such entries.
He explained that INEC officials first upload the results of monitored primaries before parties begin submitting candidates’ particulars.

According to him, if the names submitted by parties do not correspond with those already uploaded into INEC’s database, the electronic system will block the submission.
Haruna said the measure was introduced to prevent disputes over candidate substitutions that followed the 2023 general elections and resulted in prolonged court cases.
He added that although political parties had collected access codes for the nomination portal, many were yet to complete the upload of candidates’ particulars.

Attention has also shifted to the Electoral Act 2026, which introduced stricter nomination procedures and limited post-primary substitutions.
The amended law also bars politicians from defecting to another political party after membership registers have been submitted to INEC for the same election cycle, reducing the options available to aspirants who lost their party tickets.
State-by-state outcomes
In Benue, Senators Emmanuel Udende and Titus Zam regained their tickets, while Gabriel Suswam lost his earlier victory.
In Ondo, Senators Adeniyi Adegbonmire and Olajide Ipinsagba recovered their tickets after party intervention.
In Abia, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Emeka Atuma and Prince Paul Ikonne emerged as APC senatorial candidates.
In Kaduna, Shehu Sani, Sunday Marshall Katung and Mukhtar Ramalan Yero emerged as APC candidates for the three senatorial districts.
In Ekiti, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Cyril Fasuyi and Yemi Adaramodu retained their tickets.
In Oyo, all APC senatorial candidates and House of Representatives candidates retained their nominations.
In Edo, Adams Oshiomhole retained the Edo North ticket, Joe Ikpea secured Edo Central, while Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama emerged for Edo South.
In Imo, Patrick Ndubueze secured another Senate ticket, while Osita Izunaso stepped aside for Governor Hope Uzodimma’s governorship ambition.
In Kebbi, Adamu Aliero and Yahaya Abdullahi retained their tickets, while Garba Maidoki failed to secure renomination.
In Sokoto, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko emerged as APC candidate, while Aminu Tambuwal withdrew in favour of former ambassador Faruk Malami Yabo under the ADC.
In Bauchi, several politicians defected after the primaries, including Senators Shehu Buba, Abdul Ningi and Sama’ila Dahuwa.
In Borno, Kaka Shehu Lawan, Mohammed Ndume and Tahir Monguno remained APC senatorial candidates.
In Gombe, Hassan Dankwambo secured another PDP ticket, while former governor Danjuma Goje failed to obtain the APC ticket.
In Enugu, Kevin Chukwu, Ikeje Asogwa and Osita Ngwu retained their APC senatorial nominations.
In Kwara, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq emerged as APC candidate for Kwara Central, displacing Senator Saliu Mustapha. Deputy Senate Leader Oyelola Ashiru lost the Kwara South ticket, while Dr Muhammed Mahmud replaced Senator Sadiq Umar in Kwara North.
In Ogun, Governor Dapo Abiodun replaced former Governor Gbenga Daniel as the APC candidate for Ogun East, Shuaib Salisu retained Ogun Central, while Jimoh Ojugbele emerged for Ogun West.
The APC’s post-primary review has significantly altered the political landscape in several states, but the party’s revised candidate list may still face legal and electoral challenges if it conflicts with INEC’s records of monitored primary elections.