The All Progressives Congress has come under heavy criticism over its decision to alter the list of candidates who emerged from its National Assembly primaries.
The move has also triggered fresh concerns about internal democracy and the credibility of the APC’s candidate selection process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While the Peoples Democratic Party mocked the APC for substituting the names of some primary winners with others, the Social Democratic Party described the move as reckless, while the Labour Party condemned it as undemocratic.
But the APC asked the opposition to mind its business and focus on the crises rocking their respective parties.
The ruling party said the changes reflected fairness and wishes of its members.
Last week, the APC directed its state chapters to release the list of candidates for the 2027 elections, while also issuing the Independent National Electoral Commission nomination forms for completion and submission.
The development, however, was greeted with mixed reactions, as some aspirants who had earlier been declared winners alleged that they have been replaced, following the May Primary Election Appeal Commission’s review of petitions arising from the primaries.
According to reports, the APC National Working Committee overturned the victories of several senatorial candidates and restored six serving senators in nine states, following the recommendations of its appeal committee.
The decision came despite INEC’s warning that it would reject the names of candidates who did not emerge from primaries monitored by the commission, creating fresh uncertainty over the ruling party’s revised nominations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Our correspondents gathered that the APC NWC, acting on the recommendations of the appeal committee, replaced winners of the May senatorial primaries in Kogi, Abia, Benue, Taraba, Ondo, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna and Ebonyi states, restoring several incumbent lawmakers whose initial defeats had sparked outrage within the ruling party.
The revised list restored the tickets of six serving senators: 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), while Prince Paul Ikonne replaced Edinburgh Erondu in Abia South.
Ikonne is a former Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Land Development Authority.
One of the biggest casualties of the review was former Benue State governor, Gabriel Suswam, whose earlier victory in the Benue North-East primary was nullified in favour of the incumbent senator, Emmanuel Udende.
The revised candidate list has since triggered internal disagreements and raised legal concerns across several states where the primaries were conducted.
Commenting on the development, the PDP described the APC’s action as evidence of a deepening internal crisis, confusion, and lack of transparency within the ruling party.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Jungudo Mohammed, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH, said the party would rather capitalise on the crisis to reclaim power.
He recalled that President Bola Tinubu had previously expressed satisfaction at seeing the PDP in disarray, saying it was only natural for the opposition to also welcome the APC’s current difficulties.
Mohammed also said the party remained open to welcoming politicians who felt unfairly treated by their parties, noting that several prominent figures had already joined its ranks.
He stated, “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. It is not for us to advise them on how to put their house in order.
“The fact that we have our own strategies, which enabled us to conduct relatively rancour-free primaries, and that we are ensuring the names of successful candidates are forwarded to INEC, means it is not our responsibility to advise the APC on what to do. Instead, we will tell them to continue substituting names at will.
“We are ready to receive anyone who is tired of the APC’s confusion into the PDP, and we will welcome them. You can see the likes of Prof Iyabo Obasanjo, Prof Isa Pantami, and many others. We are waiting to receive those who have been treated unfairly by other political parties. This is a sign that the PDP is indeed going to spring surprises.”
It’s an aberration, mockery of Electoral Act – LP
Similarly, the Labour Party condemned the APC’s move, insisting that candidates who emerge from valid primaries should not be replaced.
The LP National Publicity Secretary, Ken Asogwa, said the party had consistently respected the outcome of its primaries, describing the replacement of duly nominated candidates as an aberration.
He said, “For us in the Labour Party, we did not supplant people who won with people who did not win. We did not, at any time, remove the names of people who won our primaries and replace them with those who did not win. That is why we have continued to show the example of what democracy looks like and how it should be practised in Nigeria.
“If there are political parties that have been doing this, it is an aberration. It makes a mockery of what the Electoral Act says. That is not the way to go.”
Asogwa recalled similar controversies ahead of the 2023 general elections.
“We all witnessed what happened in the build-up to the 2023 elections, where some persons who did not participate in the primary eventually rose to become Senate President, while another person from Yobe eventually made it to the Senate.
“Because there were no repercussions for the people who did this, they got away with it. Even when the people whose tickets were hijacked and given to them eventually went to court, they didn’t come out with anything. So, these are the issues. When certain people commit such infractions and get away with it, other persons are emboldened to do the same thing.”
“If the courts had lived up to expectations by ensuring that those people did not get away with tickets from primaries in which they did not participate, maybe what is happening now would not have happened,” he said.
Also, the African Democratic Congress said the development could trigger internal discontent that may cost the APC dearly in the 2027 general elections.
The opposition party also ruled out substituting candidates who emerged from its primaries, insisting that only the voluntary withdrawal of a candidate would warrant a replacement.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the APC’s handling of its candidate selection process had created avoidable resentment within its ranks.
“The crisis and confusion in the APC now are going to be their undoing in the next election. They have left many of their members bitter and aggrieved, but that is their problem,” he said.
Abdullahi contrasted the APC’s approach with that of the ADC, saying the opposition party remained committed to respecting the outcome of its primary elections.
“ADC will not replace candidates who were duly elected during the primaries unless they voluntarily withdraw. The difference between the ADC and other parties is that we conducted direct, competitive primaries, while others merely handpicked favoured candidates in the name of consensus.”
The ADC spokesman maintained that allowing party members to determine candidates through transparent primaries was essential to strengthening internal democracy and building confidence among party faithful.
APC’s action undemocratic – SDP
On its part, the SDP said the matter was an internal affair of the APC, although it described the development as undemocratic.
The National Publicity Secretary, Rufus Aiyenigba, said, “That is the APC’s problem and the dysfunctionality of its system. The SDP will not elevate or dignify the APC’s recklessness and anti-democratic tendencies. So, we wouldn’t comment much on this.
“At least, Nigerians can now decide whether this is the kind of system they want to continue with or not. We cannot dignify the shenanigans going on in that party with our response. The SDP is focused. We have more important things to do. We are focused on 2027 and on providing alternative solutions to Nigeria’s problems.”
Obidient, NDC back APC
However, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement Worldwide, Dr Yunusa Tanko, said political parties reserve the constitutional right to determine their candidates through internal mechanisms.
He said, “The contradiction here is that there is a position by the Supreme Court that says the party is the one to nominate and decide. So, don’t be surprised. There is a mechanism set up by the party to look into grievances.
“Look at the case in the NDC, which also set up an appeal committee that found some of the petitions before it very challenging. It ended up considering the appeals and upholding those decisions. Some decisions were taken at the party’s national convention. But, at the same time, the party put in place a reconciliation committee to look into all these challenges.
“Most importantly, all aggrieved persons must be carried along in line with the party’s constitution. These are some of the technicalities within a party. The party has the right, going by the Supreme Court judgment and its internal mechanisms.”
On whether the trend could have wider implications for the country’s democracy, Tanko maintained that the apex court had already settled the issue.
“The apex court has already delivered its judgment. Any time such implications arise, people will have to return to the Supreme Court to interpret whether the party should retain the right to nominate its candidates. That’s where the problem is.
“Let me give you an example. A candidate with a criminal record may win a primary because he has money and everything needed to mobilise support and win. If the party later finds out that he is actually ineligible to run for election, it changes that particular person. This is not to give credence to any clean and transparent primary that has been won. At the end, the party may decide that this person has no integrity and that another person is better suited to represent it.
“In a nutshell, there are too many technicalities involved in party selection. That’s why we need to look at the details before making a decision. But where there are wrongdoings, they should be addressed.”
The Nigeria Democratic Congress also expressed a similar view.
Reacting, the NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, told our correspondent that the Electoral Act backed the substitution of candidates by political parties.
He said, “Section 84 of the Electoral Act stipulates the method of choosing candidates by parties, which is either through direct primaries or consensus. If a party has conducted direct primaries, discovered possible irregularities, and decided, in its wisdom, to apply the mechanism of consensus building, I think it is the party’s prerogative to do so.
“Politics, like every other human process, is dynamic. If, at any point, a party chooses, at the stage of selecting a candidate, to change its mind, that is its cup of tea.”
The director, however, denied allegations that the NDC had imposed candidates.
“I have not heard about that in my party. What people complain about is that some persons who lost elections have raised issues, and we are looking into them.
“As stated earlier, we don’t want any single member of our party leaving because they feel they were not treated fairly. To that extent, we are addressing the issues, but I have not heard of any case of imposition,” he stated.
On claims that some prominent politicians who allegedly lost primaries were later included in the party’s list submitted to INEC, Director downplayed the matter.
“To the best of my knowledge, without resorting to name-calling or specifics, all those who won elections have their mandates, while those who lost have every reason to know why and how they lost. Those are the issues that have been addressed by the NDC without fear or favour,” he said.
Why APC changed candidates
Defending the party’s action, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said any changes made followed due process through the party’s appeal mechanism and reflected its commitment to fairness, justice, and the wishes of its members.
The APC also took a swipe at the opposition parties, describing them as fractured platforms.
“Let them (the opposition) concentrate on solving the problems that have bedevilled them. The PDP is so factionalised that you don’t know whether it is a political party or an NGO now.
“Our party is busy working on how to deliver more dividends to Nigerians because, come 2027, if another mandate is given to us, I don’t think we are bothered by the shenanigans of an organisation or association that has no standing at all,” he said.
On the revised candidates’ list, Ibrahim explained, “It shows fairness and justice. It shows the willingness of our party to go by the wishes of the people. If, at any point in time, people are aggrieved and they protest, they can appeal, and there is an appeal committee that looks into the situation and sees that, yes, there are grounds for such an appeal.
“The right thing will be done, and the right thing has been done. It shows that our party is not bent on dictating to the people whether they like it or not. If there is any element of injustice, that thing will be addressed in a way and manner that will be in line with, or in tandem with, the law.”
The APC Director of Publicity further expressed confidence that members would remain loyal, insisting that the party was founded on democratic principles, internal fairness, and respect for the outcome of its electoral processes.
“Ours is a party of people who believe in the sanctity of democracy. Ours is a party of people who believe in fairness. Ours is a party that believes that whoever goes into a contest is either going to win or lose. If you win, you carry the loser along. If you lose and you believe in the fairness of the process, you support the winner and do nothing that will create injury to the party.
“We are made up of people who are good sportsmen, not losers like the PDP. When they lose, they become disenfranchised.”