The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dropped former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, and five other senatorial candidates from the party’s final list of candidates submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Former member of the House of Representatives from Ondo State, Gbenga Elegbeleye, was also removed from the list alongside others.
The revised list submitted to INEC also affected 19 House of Representatives candidates who had emerged victorious in the party’s primary elections conducted in May 2026.
According to the document forwarded to INEC, the affected states are Abia, Kogi, Taraba, Benue, Ebonyi, Ondo, Kaduna, Niger and Kwara.
In a letter signed by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, the party attributed the changes to the recommendations of its Primary Election Appeal Committee.
The letter, titled “Forwarding of approved list of senatorial and House of Representatives candidates,” stated:
“We write to formally forward the attached list of the party’s candidates for the affected senatorial and House of Representatives constituencies arising from the report of the Primary Election Appeal Committee.
“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 party’s NWC as its final position on the affected constituencies.
“In accordance with the amended Electoral Act 2022 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 assurances of our highest regards.”
Meanwhile, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno and Adams Oshiomhole have received their Candidate Affidavit Forms (EC9).
Four state governors were also among the candidates whose names were uploaded to the INEC portal by the APC. They are AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Hope Uzodimma of Imo, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa and Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe, all of whom were cleared by the party to contest Senate seats.
Also cleared to contest senatorial seats in Kaduna State are former Governor Mukhtar Yero, Shehu Sani and Sunday Katung.
Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello secured the party’s ticket for the Kogi Central Senatorial District and is among the 109 senatorial candidates contesting on the APC platform.
The upload of candidates’ particulars followed the ratification of the party’s primary election results and a review of candidates in line with the recommendations of the Primary Appeal Committee and INEC guidelines.
For the House of Representatives, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Mudashiru Obasa and James Faleke are among those nominated to fly the APC flag.
Political parties are expected to upload the names and particulars of their presidential and National Assembly candidates on INEC’s nomination portal between June 27 and July 10.
The documents required include Form EC9 containing candidates’ personal particulars, as well as Forms EC9A, EC9B, EC9C, EC9D and EC9E containing names and lists of nominated candidates.
INEC had earlier conducted a training programme for political party officials on the use of its Candidate Nomination Portal ahead of the exercise and subsequently issued access codes to participating parties.
Speaking earlier, Acting Director-General of the Electoral Institute, Prof. Ibrahim Sani, described candidate nomination as a critical stage of the electoral process, stressing the need for political parties to comply with all legal and procedural requirements.
APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, disclosed that the party received more than 700 petitions from aggrieved members over the ongoing process.
He said the party’s immediate priority was ensuring that all candidates completed their nomination forms for upload to the INEC portal.
“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.
