The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has ignited a fierce political firestorm and come under heavy criticism following its decision to radically alter the final list of candidates who emerged victorious from its recent National Assembly primaries.

The controversial move has triggered widespread concerns regarding internal democracy and the overall credibility of the APC’s candidate selection process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Last week, the APC leadership directed its state chapters to officially release the candidate list and issue Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination forms.

However, the release was met with shock and outrage from several aspirants who had previously been declared primary winners, only to discover their names had been mysteriously replaced.

The APC National Working Committee (NWC) reportedly overturned the victories of several senatorial candidates based on recommendations from its May Primary Election Appeal Commission.

The review resulted in the restoration of the tickets for six serving senators across nine states, completely reversing their initial primary defeats.

The restored incumbents include 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). Furthermore, Prince Paul Ikonne shockingly replaced Edinburgh Erondu in Abia South.

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One of the most notable casualties of the NWC’s sweeping review was former Benue State governor Gabriel Suswam.

His earlier victory in the Benue North-East primary was controversially nullified in favor of the incumbent senator, Emmanuel Udende.

This massive internal reshuffling comes despite clear warnings from INEC that it would reject the names of any candidates who did not legitimately emerge from primaries strictly monitored by the commission.

Opposition Parties React

The situation immediately drew heavy fire from opposition ranks. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mocked the ruling party’s internal chaos. PDP National Publicity Secretary Jungudo Mohammed stated that the APC’s actions are evidence of a deepening internal crisis and a total lack of transparency.

“With the change of the candidate list, there is confusion in the APC. Let them continue to remain in confusion. It is our joy to see that they remain in confusion so that we can take advantage of that and take over power,” Mohammed said.

He added that the PDP is actively waiting to welcome aggrieved APC members, citing recent defections by prominent figures like Prof. Iyabo Obasanjo and Prof. Isa Pantami.

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The Labour Party (LP) condemned the APC’s substitutions as entirely undemocratic.

LP National Publicity Secretary Ken Asogwa stated, “For us in the Labour Party, we did not supplant people who won with people who did not win. If there are political parties that have been doing this, it is an aberration. It makes a mockery of what the Electoral Act says.”

Similarly, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) dismissed the situation as proof of the APC’s “dysfunctionality.”

SDP National Publicity Secretary Rufus Aiyenigba remarked, “The SDP will not elevate or dignify the APC’s recklessness and anti-democratic tendencies. At least, Nigerians can now decide whether this is the kind of system they want to continue with or not.”

APC Defends Its Actions

Despite the mounting criticism, the APC remained defiant, advising the opposition to focus on their own internal crises.

Defending the NWC’s sweeping changes, APC Director of Publicity Bala Ibrahim insisted that the alterations followed strict due process through the party’s established appeal mechanism. He argued that the new list reflects the party’s ultimate commitment to fairness and justice.