The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) 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.
The decision also saw the replacement of five other senatorial aspirants and 19 House of Representatives candidates, reports The Nation.
According to an official document obtained by our correspondent, the changes affected constituencies across nine states: Kogi, Abia, Benue, Taraba, Ondo, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna and Ebonyi.
The revised list was formally transmitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) through a joint letter signed by the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and the 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 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.
“We write to formally forward the attached list of the party’s candidates for the affected senatorial and House of Representatives candidates’ constituencies arising from the report of the Primary Election Appeal Committee,” the letter read in part.
“Following the determination of Appeals from the recently concluded primary elections, the Reports of the Appeal Committee were reviewed and subsequently considered and approved by the NWC of the APC as the party’s final position on the affected constituencies.”
The ruling party further emphasized that the sudden replacements strictly complied with national electoral guidelines.
“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. Please accept the assurance of our highest regards,” the party leadership added.
A breakdown of the final senatorial list reveals massive upsets. 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/Human), who was replaced by Dickson Tarkighir, and Livinus Tsar Adzor (Vandekiya/Konshsha), replaced by Sesoo Ikpagher.
Ondo State also recorded a high casualty rate, with six federal constituency tickets altered. Notably, Donald Ojogo replaced Akingboye Leke in the Ilaje/Ese-Ode Federal Constituency, and Festus Olarewaju took the place of Rasaq Obe in the Idanre Federal Constituency.
Similar substitutions were executed in Taraba, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, and Ebonyi states as the APC finalizes its ranks ahead of the general elections.
