At least 50 members of the 10th House of Representatives face an unlikely return to the 11th Assembly after losing out in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections conducted on Saturday.
The outcome represents one of the most significant turnovers of sitting federal lawmakers since 2015, highlighting the fierce internal rivalries within the ruling party just eight months ahead of the 2027 general elections.
While House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas (Kano) and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu (Abia) successfully defended their tickets, numerous high-ranking and long-serving lawmakers suffered defeats, exposing a strong anti-incumbent mood and the powerful influence of state governors over candidate selection.
Landmark Upsets Across the States
One of the largest upsets of the exercise was recorded in Edo State’s Owan Federal Constituency, where House Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere was defeated. Out of 7,587 total votes cast, Ihonvbere placed third with 1,005 votes, falling behind Andrew Ijegbia, who secured the ticket with 3,695 votes. Abdul Oroh finished in second place with 1,740 votes.
In Delta State, veteran lawmaker Nicholas Mutu, who has occupied the Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency seat since 1999, lost his bid to return. Similarly, Ngozi Okolie lost the Aniocha/Oshimili ticket to former House Minority Leader Ndudi Elumelu.
Cross River State emerged with one of the heaviest casualty rates, as five out of eight incumbent lawmakers failed to secure their re-nomination bids. Those defeated include three-term member Mike Etaba (Obubra/Etung), Godwin Offiono (Ogoja/Yala), Emil Inyang (Akamkpa/Biase), and Bassey Akiba (Odukpani/Calabar Municipality). Conversely, only Peter Akpanke, Joseph Bassey, and Victor Abang managed to win their return tickets.
In Plateau State, conflicting declarations in the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency triggered early confusion. One returning officer initially declared challenger John Tongshinen the winner with 29,968 votes against incumbent Yusuf Gagdi’s 5,849 votes.
However, the APC Plateau State primaries committee, led by Stella Okotete, subsequently dismissed that declaration as unauthorized and affirmed Mr. Gagdi as the legitimate winner with 29,207 votes.
During a press briefing, Mrs. Okotete clarified that Nandom Kura was the officially recognized returning officer for the exercise, stating: “The returning officer approved by my committee that has gone to do fake declaration is null and void.”
Other heavy losses occurred in Ogun State, where at least five incumbents fell—including Deputy Chief Whip Ibrahim Isiaka and Tunji Akinosi—as well as Ekiti State, which lost three sitting members.
Zonal Performance Breakdown
Northern Zones (Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Borno)
In Katsina State, a minimum of four sitting lawmakers—Sani Danlami, Abubakar Kusada, Aminu Jamo, and Dalhatu Tafoki—lost their tickets under consensus setups. Meanwhile, Yusuf Buhari, the son of the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, secured a landslide victory to claim the APC ticket for the Sandamu/Daura/Mai’adua Federal Constituency.
Across the North-West, Zamfara and Sokoto states largely favored consensus arrangements, resulting in most incumbents being affirmed as candidates. Kebbi State, however, witnessed notable upsets, including the defeats of Mansur Jega (Jega/Gwandu/Aleiro) and Bashar Bajida, with tickets being handed to new candidates via consensus agreements.
In Borno State, several incumbents successfully retained their tickets, including Usman Zannah, Betara Aliyu, Kadiri Rahis, Satomi Ahmed, Bukar Talba, and Ahmed Jaha. Alongside them, new faces viewed as close associates of Governor Babagana Zulum emerged victorious.
Southern Zones (Bayelsa, Rivers, South-West)
The South-South zone proved highly volatile. In Bayelsa State, the results mirrored ongoing political realignments tied to Governor Douye Diri, with incumbents Oforji Oboku and Rodney Ambaiowei winning re-nomination in their constituencies, while some others opted to stay with the PDP for senatorial contests. Rivers State recorded losses for multiple incumbents, including Boma Goodhead.
In the South-West, incumbents suffered significant defeats in Ekiti and Ogun, while the final results in Ondo State remain stalled due to internal disputes within the primaries committee.
Power Dynamics and Growing Protests
The sheer scale of incumbent losses highlights the expanding dominance of state governors and localized party structures over legislative incumbency. While it remains unclear how much these outcomes favor President Bola Tinubu’s core loyalists, several governors appear to have successfully tightened their grip on the party machinery.
Political analysts observe that the exit of so many ranking members could heavily reshape leadership structures and committee dynamics in the upcoming 11th National Assembly. For the APC, the immediate hurdle lies in reconciling aggrieved aspirants to halt defections or legal challenges that could break the party’s campaign cohesion ahead of 2027.
The primaries were also hit by deep disputes and allegations of manipulation across multiple states.
In Ekiti State, aspirants Teju Okuyiga and Victor Kolade outrightly rejected the outcomes. Mrs. Okuyiga claimed that voting did not take place across many wards and that numbers were merely allocated during collation.
“The process was manipulated to disenfranchise supporters and undermine my candidacy as the only female aspirant,” she said.
In the Epe Federal Constituency of Lagos State, aspirant Ademola Amure described the voting exercise as “shambolic, massively flawed and fraudulent,” pointing to incidents of gunfire, thuggery, voter intimidation, and the artificial inflation of voter turnout numbers.
In Ondo State, friction within the primaries committee delayed the official announcement of results, with inside sources alleging that pressure was being applied to impose consensus candidates despite seven aspirants having been disqualified earlier.
The APC National Working Committee has not yet released an official comprehensive response regarding the overall conduct of the primary elections.
