2027: APC drops Suswam, 5 other senatorial candidates on final list to INEC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) has dropped former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam and five other senatorial candidates from the party’s final list of candidates forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Former Ondo State House of Representatives member, Gbenga Elegbeleye, was also dropped from the list.

Also contained in the final list of dropped and replaced candidates forwarded to INEC are 19 House of Representatives candidates who emerged victorious in the party’s primary elections held in May 2026.

According to the document forwarded to INEC, the states affected were Abia, Kogi, Taraba, Benue, Ebonyi, Ondo, Kaduna, Niger, and Kwara.

In the letter sent to INEC and signed by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and its National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, the party attributed the changes to the report of its Primary Election Appeal Committee.

The letter read: “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.”

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, his deputy, Senator Jibrin Barau, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno, and Senator Adams Oshiomhole received their Candidate Affidavit Forms (EC9).

Four state governors are among the candidates whose names were uploaded by the APC to the INEC portal.

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The four governors are AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), and Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe) who had all been cleared by the party to contest Senate seats.

Also cleared are former Kaduna State Governor Mukhtar Yero, Shehu Sani, and Sunday Katung to contest Senate seats in Kaduna State.

Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello secured the party’s ticket for the Kogi Central Senatorial District. He is among the 109 senatorial candidates running on the APC platform.

The uploading of candidates’ particulars, a continuous process, followed the ratification of the results of the April shadow polls and a review of the list in line with the outcome of the Primary Appeal Reports and INEC’s guidelines.

Political parties are expected to upload names and particulars of their presidential and National Assembly candidates on INEC’s nomination portal between June 27 and July 10, 2026, when the portal would be closed.

The documents to be uploaded include Form EC9, containing candidates’ personal particulars, and Forms EC9A, EC9B, EC9C, EC9D and EC9E, containing the names and lists of nominated candidates.