The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dropped former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam and five other senatorial candidates from its final list of candidates submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Also removed from the list is former member of the House of Representatives from Ondo State, Gbenga Elegbeleye, alongside 19 House of Representatives candidates who initially emerged winners in the party’s primary elections held in May 2026.
According to documents submitted to INEC, the affected constituencies are in Abia, Benue, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kogi, Kwara, Niger, Ondo and Taraba states.
In a letter to INEC signed by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, the party said the changes followed the recommendations of its Primary Election Appeal Committee.
The letter, titled “Forwarding of Approved List of Senatorial and House of Representatives Candidates,” stated that the National Working Committee (NWC) reviewed and approved the committee’s recommendations as the party’s final position on the affected constituencies.
The APC said the revised list was submitted in line with the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) and INEC’s regulations and guidelines.
Meanwhile, several prominent APC figures have been cleared to contest in the 2027 National Assembly elections.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole have all received their Candidate Affidavit Forms (EC9).
Four serving governors were also included among the party’s senatorial candidates. They are Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
Other notable figures cleared to contest Senate seats include former Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Yero, Senator Shehu Sani and Senator Sunday Katung, while former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello secured the APC ticket for the Kogi Central Senatorial District.
The party said the ongoing upload of candidates’ particulars to INEC’s nomination portal followed the ratification of the primary election results and subsequent review based on reports from the Primary Election Appeal Committee.
For the House of Representatives, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Mudashiru Obasa and James Faleke are among the APC candidates.
INEC had earlier announced that political parties are expected to upload the names and particulars of their presidential and National Assembly candidates on its Candidate Nomination Portal between June 27 and July 10.
The commission also trained political party officials on the use of the portal and issued access codes to facilitate the nomination process.
Speaking on the exercise, APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka disclosed that the party received more than 700 petitions arising from its primary elections.
He, however, said the party’s immediate priority was to ensure that all candidates complete the required nomination forms and meet INEC’s submission deadline.
“They are to complete and return the forms to the party for upload to the INEC portal, so, making the list public is not our priority now.
“Although we will eventually release the list, our immediate priority is to ensure that our candidates complete their forms and meet INEC’s deadline.
“This is more important to us than the public release of the candidates’ list. Those who are our candidates have, by now, received their forms. They already know themselves; there is no tension about that,” Morka said. (NAN)
