The All Progressives Congress (APC) has restored six serving senators to its list of candidates for the 2027 National Assembly elections after reviewing the outcome of its primary elections, a move that could spark fresh controversy within the ruling party.
The development comes as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) warned that it would reject the names of candidates that do not match the results of the primaries officially monitored and uploaded by the commission.
Documents obtained by The PUNCH showed that the APC National Working Committee approved the changes after considering recommendations from its Primary Election Appeal Committee. The review affected senatorial contests in several states, including Kogi, Benue, Taraba, Ondo, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Ebonyi and Abia.
Among those whose tickets were restored are 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).
The review also saw former National Agricultural Land Development Authority boss, Prince Paul Ikonne, emerge as the APC candidate for Abia South.
One of the biggest reversals was in Benue State, where former governor Gabriel Suswam lost the ticket he had earlier secured for Benue North-East after the appeal committee reinstated Senator Emmanuel Udende.
The changes followed weeks of consultations within the APC after several serving lawmakers failed to secure return tickets during the party's primaries.
Party sources said the review was influenced by interventions from President Bola Tinubu, governors, traditional rulers and other senior stakeholders who sought to reduce internal tensions ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to party insiders, compromises were reached in states where rival political camps clashed over the outcome of the primaries.
In Ondo State, the dispute between Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa and Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, was reportedly resolved through a power-sharing arrangement that allowed some incumbent senators to regain their tickets.
A similar settlement was also said to have been reached in Benue State between Governor Hyacinth Alia and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
However, the revised list may face fresh legal and electoral hurdles.
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Haruna stated that the commission's electronic nomination portal would only accept names that correspond with the results already uploaded by officials who monitored the primaries.
He explained that once political parties submit names different from those contained in INEC's records, the system would automatically reject them.
Haruna noted that the measure was introduced to prevent the kind of disputes and court cases that followed candidate substitutions during previous elections.
The Electoral Act 2026 also limits the ability of politicians to defect to another party after the submission of party membership registers, leaving many aspirants who lost APC tickets with limited options.
Across the country, the APC's review produced different outcomes.
In states such as Ekiti, Oyo, Edo and Borno, most incumbent lawmakers retained their tickets, while in Kwara and Ogun, several serving senators and members of the House of Representatives lost out to new candidates.
The party's decision has reshaped its National Assembly lineup in several states, but political observers say attention will now shift to whether INEC accepts the revised nominations or if the changes trigger another round of legal battles ahead of the 2027 general elections.
