APC Primaries: 70 NASS members lose return tickets

–Senators Nwoko, Daniel, Izunaso, Udende, Zam, Mustapha, others stumble

–Protests, trail exercises as Adegbonmire escapes death in Ondo

–Omo-Agege, Ize-Iyamu, Zailani, Arise, others reject results

By our reporters

LAGOS — While the final results of the House of Representatives and Senate primaries of the All Progressives Congress, APC, are awaited, no fewer than 70 of the party’s 330 serving lawmakers in the National Assembly will not return in 2027.

APC has 242 Reps and 88 senators, most of whom are seeking re-election. Rep Donatus Matthew, famously known as okada rider, who was elected on the platform of the Labour Party, LP, to represent Kaura Constituency, Kaduna, but defected to the APC, recently, headline legislators who will not return. He was disqualified during screening by the APC hierarchy.

Former LP federal lawmakers, who defected to the APC only to lose their re-election tickets in the APC primaries include: Esosa Iyawe, who lost Oredo Federal Constituency, Edo State to Dr. Paddy Iyamu; Senator Neda Imasuen, Edo South; Tochukwu Okere (Imo); Bassey Akiba (Cross River), and Daulyop Fom (Plateau) among others.

APC Senators, who will not return on account of losing the primaries, withdrawing or stepping down include Senators 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) and Ned Nwoko (Delta North).

Currently, subject to ratification of the APC hierarchy, no fewer than 58 Reps and 12 senators won’t return as they cannot pursue their aspirations on another platform because of the new Electoral Act and guidelines. Parties’ submission of membership registers lapsed May 10.

Protests, complaints

Meanwhile, protests and complaints are hallmarking the outcome of the primaries across the country as the APC prepares for tomorrow’s governorship primaries with many aspirants kicking. Indeed, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, SAN, representing Ondo Central, narrowly escaped harm after armed thugs attacked him and his supporters at his polling unit during the exercise.

This was as the party tongue-lashed primaries supervising committees for announcing results without recourse to the National Secretariat.

Senator Adegbonmire escapes death in Ondo

Senator Adegbonmire narrowly escaped harm after armed thugs attacked him and his supporters at his polling unit during the senatorial primary.

The attack occurred at Okilisa Ward 5 in Akure. Eye-witnesses said gunmen stormed the venue, fired sporadically, and shot at the senator’s vehicle after it became clear he was leading the vote count.

Party members on the queue, delegates, officials, and journalists scampered for safety. Some women were injured in the melee.

The disruption also caused panic at nearby Ebenezer Primary School. Parents rushed to pick up their children amid fears of stray bullets.

Security operatives intervened quickly and evacuated Adegbonmire from the venue, leading to a temporary halt of the exercise.

Speaking after the incident, Adegbonmire described the process as a “complete charade” and alleged widespread intimidation and violence targeted at his supporters across Ondo Central.

Adegbonmire said voting had started peacefully, with members lining up behind their preferred aspirants. When counting showed his line was in the lead, thugs invaded, fired shots, and assaulted supporters.

“My supporters were about 400 and there were three lines — mine in the middle, Taiwo Fasoranti on the right and Adu’s on the left. 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, started shooting in the air and even shot at my car,” he said.

Meanwhile, some of the aspirants in both the House of Representatives and the Senate have rejected the results and conduct of the exercise.

Speaking on the senatorial primaries in the central senatorial district, Olumuyiwa Adu, accused armed thugs of hijacking the primaries in Ondo State, alleging widespread intimidation and imposition of candidates, adding that the process could not be described as a democratic election.

Uncertainty trails outcome in Delta

In Delta State, uncertainty trailed the outcome of Monday’s Senate primaries with the party querying the Primary Committees for announcing results and winners direct from states district collation centres in the nationwide exercise.

Ajibola Basiru, APC National Secretary, who highlighted the party’s objection to the development, yesterday, noted that the primary committees over-reached themselves in announcing winners for the exercise in defiance of the National Working Committee, NWC, directive for final results and declaration of winners to be announced at Abuja headquarters of the party.

His words: “The circular signed by the National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Argungu, was to the effect that results would and may be declared and collated but the final announcement of the results would be done at the National Headquarters.

“There will be a collation of results at the Local Government level. There will also be collation at the Constituency level. The logic of this process is to be able to look at whatever complaint that might have been, so that could be addressed before you make final pronouncement in that regard.

“Just like it has been said that some people have issues about what has happened in the field. Aside from the National Convention of our party and the National Executive Committee, NEC, the NWC is the highest organ that has the capability to be able to look through whatever issue, whatever complaint.

“So rather than see it as a way to undermine the process, it should be seen as a way to safeguard the process and ensure that it is seen as fair treatment.

“Whatever complaint anybody has in terms of what has happened in the field receives fair assessment before final pronouncement will be made as to the winner or loser of that election.”

The development has provoked doubts over the victories recorded by Senators Ifeanyi Okowa for Delta North, Ede Dafinone (Central) and Joel Onowakpo-Thomas (South) even as opponents hope on the NWC to announce final results to the contrary.

APC NASS appeal c’ttee receives 5 petitions in Delta

Chairman of the APC National Assembly Primaries Appeal Committee for Delta State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ujam, yesterday, disclosed that the committee has received five petitions arising from the primaries in the state.

Dr. Ujam, who spoke with journalists at the APC secretariat in Asaba, said the committee was already reviewing petitions submitted by aggrieved party members and stakeholders over the conduct of the exercises.

No primary held in Cross River central senatorial district — Aspirants

In Cross River, two aspirants for the Cross River Central Senatorial District, Senator Eteng Jones Williams and Ms. Mary Ekpere, have rejected the results currently circulating on social media, declaring that no primary election took place across any of the 66 wards in the district.

The aspirants, in separate statements, urged their supporters and party faithful to disregard the purported results, describing them as fictitious and designed to cause division within the APC.

Senator Williams, who monitored the process closely, said his team visited all 66 wards and confirmed that no voting occurred anywhere in the district.

Ms. Mary Ekpere, also speaking, expressed disappointment at the alleged unfair treatment.

“As an aspirant, I neither saw the electoral materials nor was allowed to cast a vote for myself. We are all members of this party and Governor Bassey Otu’s children. We only ask to be treated fairly and equally,” she said.

Gov AbdulRazaq wins Kwara central senatorial primary

Meanwhile, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has won the primaries of Kwara Central senatorial seat unopposed.

The official declaration of the result will be announced with that of the House of Representatives held on Saturday by the national secretariat of the party, said the state Working Committee of the party.

Meanwhile, Senator Saliu Mustapha had, via a statement by his media assistant, Nasir Sholagberu, earlier claimed he was backing AbdulRazaq for the Kwara Central Senatorial seat while calling for peaceful and orderly primaries.

Jimkuta, Manu secure Senate tickets in Taraba

Incumbent senators representing Taraba South and Central, David Jimkuta and Haruna Manu, retained the APC tickets for their respective zones to contest the 2027 general elections.

In Taraba South, Senator David Jimkuta got 29,880 votes to defeat two other aspirants as officially announced by the Returning Officer for the APC Taraba South Senatorial primary, Albasu Kunini.

In the Taraba Central Senatorial zone, Senator Haruna Manu secured the party’s ticket after a relatively smooth path to victory.

His main challenger, Babangida Nguroje, opted to step down from the race, while the National President of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Socio-Cultural Association, Bello Bodejo, was disqualified from the contest.

Meanwhile, tension remains high as the result for the Taraba North Senatorial zone is yet to be released.

Fadahunsi wins APC primary, Fadeyi loses in Osun

In Osun, Senator Francis Fadahunsi was declared winner of the Osun-East Senatorial district while his colleague from Osun-Central, Olubiyi Fadeyi lost bid to pick the party’s ticket.

The result was announced by the Chairman, APC Primary election committee for Osun State, Bayo Ayo.

He also announced that Akin Ogunbiyi defeated Gafar Amere to pick the party ticket for Osun-West senatorial district.

While announcing the outcome of the House of Representatives primary election, Ayo disclosed that Mr Wole Oke, Taofeek Ajilesoro, Sanya Omirin, Ademola Habeeb and Dr Adebisi Obawale were elected through consensus for Obokun/Oriade, Ife, Ijesa-South, Iwo and Ila federal constituencies.

He added that Ibrahim Taofeek won the party ticket for Osogbo federal constituency, Eniade Damilare elected as party candidate for Ifelodun federal constituency, David Asalu, Ede federal constituency and Mrs Taiwo Oluga for Ikire federal constituency.

2 serving Benue Senators lose return tickets

In Benue, two serving senators from Benue State on the platform of the APC, lost their bids to secure return tickets.

The lawmakers, Titus Zam of Benue North-West and Emmanuel Udende of Benue North-East, were defeated during the primaries.

In the Benue North-West Senatorial District contest, Senator Zam suffered a major upset after finishing third in the keenly contested primary election.

A retired Assistant Comptroller of Customs and husband of the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Benjamin Aber, emerged winner of the exercise with a total of 93,412 votes.

Mr. Aber defeated his closest challenger, Mr. Dave Awunah, who secured 21,732 votes, while the incumbent senator, Zam, polled 2,763 votes to place a distant third.

In the Benue North-East Senatorial District, former Governor Gabriel Suswam staged a dramatic comeback by defeating the incumbent Senator Emmanuel Udende in a landslide victory.

Suswam, who previously represented the district in the 9th Senate, polled 131,083 votes to clinch the APC ticket, while Senator Udende garnered only 1,374 votes in the exercise.

The outcome of the poll has already been rejected by the lawmakers, who insisted that the election results were altered in the various local government areas of the state, as it had been predetermined before the actual exercise.

Zailani rejects Kaduna Senate primaries

The campaign council of former speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly and Kaduna Central senatorial aspirant, Yusuf Zailani, has rejected the outcome of the APC senatorial primary election for Kaduna Central, insisting that no valid primary election took place across the zone.

The council described the exercise held on Sunday as flawed, non-transparent and inconsistent with the guidelines of the party.

Addressing journalists after the disputed exercise, Deputy Director-General of the campaign, Cafra Caino, alleged that party officials failed to provide election materials or conduct voting in the seven local government areas of the zone.

Protest rocks APC secretariat as Kogi stakeholders reject Bello

Also, tension erupted at the National Secretariat of the APC, in Abuja, yesterday, as stakeholders from Kogi Central staged a protest against the participation of former Governor Yahaya Bello in the party’s senatorial primary election.

The protesters, drawn from the five local government areas of Kogi Central, demanded cancellation of the exercise, alleging gross irregularities and violation of party rules.

The aggrieved stakeholders insisted that Bello was not cleared by the APC screening committee and therefore lacked the legitimacy to participate in the primary election in which he allegedly emerged winner.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Coordinator of the Kogi Central Movement, Usman Adabara, described the entire process as flawed and lacking credibility.

Also speaking Suleiman Otaru urged the APC leadership to correct what he described as a dangerous political error to preserve the party’s credibility in Kogi Central.

APC faces fresh Zamfara disaster over ‘imposition’ — Shinkafi

In Zamfara, the APC may be heading for another political and legal crisis after Zamfara North senatorial aspirant, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, rejected an alleged plot to impose ‘anointed candidates’ during Tuesday’s primaries and warned that the ruling party risked a repeat of the 2019 electoral disaster that cost it all elective positions in the state.

The allegations were contained in a statement by Shinkafi, a former governorship candidate in Zamfara State and APC aspirant for the Zamfara North Senatorial District.

“History may repeat itself if the APC fails to strictly comply with the Constitution, the Electoral Act and its own internal guidelines,” Shinkafi warned.

He recalled that the Supreme Court nullified the APC primaries in Zamfara in 2019 over irregularities in the nomination process and subsequently awarded victory to the party that came second in the elections.

Arise rejects Ekiti North primary

In Ekiti, Former senator and aspirant for Ekiti North Senatorial District primary election, Ayo Arise, has rejected the outcome of the exercise, alleging manipulation, vote fabrication and deliberate disruption of the electoral process across several wards in the district.

Addressing journalists, yesterday at Oye-Ekiti, his home country, Arise declared that he won the primary election conducted across the Ekiti North Senatorial District, insisting that the figures eventually announced by the election committee did not reflect the actual votes cast at the ward level.

Recall that the returning offer for the senatorial primary election, Asipa Wasiu declared that the incumbent lawmaker, Senator Cyril Fasuyi polled 14,179 votes to secure his ticket while Senator Ayo Arise came second with 4,868 votes.

According to Arise, results collated from 33 wards where voting and counting were completed showed that he polled 8,687 votes, representing 48.1 per cent of the total ballots cast, while Fasuyi secured 7,755 votes.