The APC’s National Working Committee quietly dropped former Benue governor Gabriel Suswam, ex-Ondo rep Gbenga Elegbeleye and 23 other National Assembly hopefuls — a shake-up sources say was meant to placate powerful figures.
The party sent revised lists to INEC, signed by National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and National Secretary Ajibola Basiru, saying changes followed the Primary Election Appeal Committee’s report. But insiders say politics played a part. “Suswam was sacrificed to please Akume,” a top APC leader told Vanguard.
Senatorial swaps included: Senator Sunday Karimi for Kogi West (replacing Aro Samuel Bamidele); Prince Paul Ikonne for Abia South (replacing Edinburgh Uchenna Erondu); Emmanuel Memga Udende for Benue North East (replacing Suswam); Titus Tartenger Zam for Benue North West (replacing Benjamin T. Aber); Shuibu Isa Lau for Taraba North (replacing Mohammed Kabir Bello); Adeniyi Adegbonmire for Ondo Central (replacing Taiwo Fasoranti); and Olajide Ipinsagba for Ondo North (replacing Elegbeleye).
House changes were many: Benue had five swaps — Dickson Tarkighir (Makurdi/Guma), Sesoo Ikpagher (Vandeikya/Konshisha), Terser Ugbor (Kwande/Ushongo), Sekav Dzua Iyortyom (Buruku), Austin Asema Achado (Gwer East/Gwer West). Others: Peter Abel Diah (Taraba Gashaka/Kurmi/Sardauna); Abubakar Lado Abdullahi and Adamu Suleiman (Niger constituencies); Raheem Tunji Olawuyi and Mohammed Mamman (Kwara); six in Ondo including Donald Ojogo and Festus Ayodele Adefiranye; Abdulazeez Kaka (Kaduna North); Samuel Okezie (Ukwa East/Ukwa West); Ekumankama Joseph Nkama (Afikpo North/Edda).
To ease anger, the NWC has empowered governors in distributing INEC forms. APC publicity secretary Felix Morka said: “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,” he said, adding that the party will eventually release the full list. The INEC portal window runs June 27–July 11.
Governors met Tuesday and plan a parley with party chair Yilwatda in Abuja to calm tensions. The reshuffle reflects President Tinubu’s hands-off push for governors to shape state tickets — and a brewing scramble as eight APC governors leave office by May 29, 2027.
