Primaries: APC Reps fight back after ticket losses
The All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections ahead of the 2027 general elections have triggered major political ripples across Nigeria. Following a wave of high-profile losses where several sitting federal lawmakers failed to secure their party’s return tickets, a significant pushback is brewing within the ranks of the House of Representatives.
A substantial number of incumbent House of Representatives members have lost their primary bids, causing widespread shockwaves within the party. Notable casualties include:
Prof. Julius Ihonvbere: The current House Majority Leader, who lost his bid for the Owan Federal Constituency ticket in Edo State to Andrew Ijegba.
Yusuf Gagdi: The prominent lawmaker representing Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency in Plateau State, who failed to secure a ticket for a third term.
State-Level Sweeps: Multiple incumbents were swept out in coordinated primary upsets across states like Benue (where six lawmakers—mostly loyalists of SGF Senator George Akume—lost), Imo (four incumbents lost), Jigawa (four incumbents lost), as well as key losses in Ogun, Nasarawa, Kebbi, Edo, and Kwara.
How the Ousted Reps are "Fighting Back"
Rather than quietly accepting the outcomes, aggrieved lawmakers and their political camps are deploying various strategies to challenge the results and safeguard their political futures:
1. Petitions and Internal Appeals
Many of the defeated lawmakers are flooding the APC Primary Election Appeal Committees with formal petitions. They allege widespread irregularities, "doctoring" of delegate lists, lack of transparency, and flagrant disregard for the party's guidelines. They are demanding a review of the processes, threatening to disrupt party unity if their grievances are ignored.
2. Backroom "Anti-Party" Negotiations & Defection Threats
With the general elections on the horizon, some aggrieved lawmakers are leveraging their local structures to negotiate with opposition parties (such as the PDP, LP, or NNPP). Lawmakers are quietly sending signals to the APC leadership that if the party does not remedy the situation or offer alternative political compensation, they will either defect or actively work against the APC's interest at the grassroots level.
3. Resistance Against State Governors and "Godfatherism"
A primary source of the friction is the role played by state governors and party godfathers who allegedly used consensus arrangements or handpicked delegates to systematically replace independent-minded legislators. Lawmakers are rallying their local support bases to protest the "imposition" of candidates, warning the APC leadership that sidelining popular incumbents could backfire severely during the general elections.
While many are actively pushing back, a few have chosen a diplomatic route. For instance, Hon. Miriam Onuoha (Imo State), despite losing her return ticket, publicly surrendered to party supremacy, stating her loyalty to the party leadership and Governor Hope Uzodimma, while subtly leaving the door open for the system to "have a rethink.
Why the Upsets Happened
Political analysts attribute this massive turnover to a mix of:
Zoning Arrangements: Local shifts demanding that tickets rotate to other local government areas.
Executive High-Handedness: Governors clearing out federal lawmakers who are not seen as 100% loyal to their local administrations.
Internal Factional Feuds: Particularly evident in states like Benue, where the rift between various political heavyweights directly impacted who clinched tickets.
With the morning news cycles indicating that these "ticket battles" are deepening, the APC national leadership faces a high-stakes task to manage the fallout and prevent a mass exodus of influential lawmakers before the general election.
