APC Primaries: 70 Senators, Reps Lose Return Tickets
- A total of 70 APC senators and House of Representatives members would not be returning to the National Assembly in 2027
- Many of the lawmakers failed to secure their return ticket in the APC senatorial and House of Representatives primary elections
- While the final results of the primaries were yet to be released by the party, the affected lawmakers cannot decamp to another party to contest because of the new electoral act
No less than 70 of the 330 senators and House of Representatives members currently in the National Assembly will not return in the 2027 elections. This comes even as the final results of the National Assembly primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are yet to be released.
Currently, the APC has 242 House of Reps members and 88 senators, and most of them were seeking re-election, including a popularly known Okada rider, who was elected on the platform of the Labour Party to represent Kaura Constituency in Kaduna but joined the APC after his inauguration. He recently topped the list of legislators who will not be re-elected after the APC disqualified him during the screening.
Source: Twitter
Ex-LP lawmakers who defected to APC lose primaries
According to Vanguard, the federal lawmakers who were elected on the platform of the Labour Party but defected to the APC after their inauguration, and have now lost their re-election bid in the ruling party's primaries, are listed below:
Esosa Iyawo, the lawmaker representing the Oredo Federal Constituency in Edo state, lost the primary to Paddy Iyanu, Others include Edo South Senator Neda Imasuen, Tochukwu Okere in Imo, Bassey Akiba of Cross River, and Plateau's Daulyop Fom, among others.
The following APC senators will not be returning to the Senate for the 11th National Assembly because they either withdrew from the poll or stepped down: Senator Gbenga Daniel of Ogun state, Plateau Central's Diket Plang, Imo West's Osita Izunaso, Emmanuel Udende and Titus Zam of Benue North-East and Benue West, Osun Central's Olubiyi Fadeyi, Salisu Mustapha from Kwara, and Ned Nwoko of Delta North.
APC to ratify primary election results
The defeats of the lawmakers are currently subject to ratification by the APC leadership. In total, no fewer than 58 representatives and 12 senators won't return to the national assembly as they could not secure the party's ticket to pursue their aspirations in the 2027 elections, Daily Trust reported.
Also, they cannot pursue their ambitions on another platform because of the newly signed Electoral Act and guidelines, as the deadline for switching party membership ended on May 10.
Meanwhile, the primary elections were marred by complaints and protests across the country as the ruling party prepared for its governorship and presidential primaries on Thursday, May 21. For instance, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, the senator representing Ondo Central, narrowly escaped death after he and his supporters were attacked by some armed thugs at his polling unit during the exercise.
Speaking on the crisis arising from the APC with Legit.ng, Omotayo Yusuf, a political commentator, reminded the ruling party of how the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost everything when it was in power. He said:
"The APC needs to be reminded that the inability of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to hold the party together when it was in power led to the failure to retain power. Many aggrieved members were influential on their own."
Source: Twitter
Gbajabiamila sends a message to ADC
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu's chief of staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, sparked conversation among Nigerians after urging Leke Abejide to remain in the ADC.
Gbajabiamila, while speaking at the lawmaker's wedding anniversary, said the ruling party was satisfied with Abejide's membership in the ADC and urged him to fight for the party.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives' comment came amid the leadership crisis rocking the ADC between the factions of Nafiu Bala and David Mark.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
