A storm is brewing within the All Progressives Congress (APC) over its revised list of National Assembly candidates submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as aggrieved aspirants drag the party to court, stakeholders demand fresh representation, and a chieftain warns of simmering anger within the party’s ranks ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The development, nonetheless, the APC said it is an internal process which is being addressed internally.

Former senator representing Ekiti North, Ayo Arise, disclosed in an interview that he had approached the court to challenge the outcome of the APC’s senatorial primary in his district, insisting that he lawfully won the exercise.

Arise said his decision to institute legal action immediately after the primary was informed by his understanding of the timelines stipulated by the Electoral Act, adding that he was not surprised when his name was eventually omitted from the party’s list of candidates.

According to him, the legal action was not driven by personal ambition but by the need to ensure that political parties comply with their own rules and uphold democratic principles. He said many aspirants were misled into waiting for declarations by the party’s national leadership, despite provisions in the APC guidelines indicating how the primary process should be concluded.

“I went ahead and filed my case in court because I knew what was coming. That is why I was not surprised at the outcome. This is not about me; it is about ensuring that we have a system that works for everybody,” Arise said, adding that the court was now the arbiter that would determine whether the party’s guidelines were followed. He expressed confidence in the judiciary, saying he believed he would get his ticket back because he won massively.

In Ondo State, stakeholders in Okeigbo, Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area, for their part, demanded a new representative for the Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives ahead of 2027, citing years of poor representation and inadequate development.

Their position was contained in a statement issued on their behalf in Abuja by Fayemisi Tosin, a chieftain of the APC, who said growing dissatisfaction among residents had intensified demands for a lawmaker capable of attracting federal projects and giving the constituency a stronger voice in the National Assembly.

Tosin said many constituents who had high expectations when the incumbent lawmaker assumed office now believe the anticipated dividends of democracy have not been delivered, citing poor infrastructure, limited federal presence, youth unemployment and the absence of impactful constituency projects, including the deteriorating Okeigbo-Ifetedo Bridge linking Ondo and Osun states. The stakeholders declared their support for Simisola Fajemirokun-Ajayi, who contested the APC House of Representatives primary for the constituency, and urged the party’s national leadership to recognise her as the rightful candidate.

The discontent comes as the APC made sweeping changes to its list of National Assembly candidates, replacing former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, former House of Representatives member, Gbenga Elegbeleye, and several others following the outcome of appeals arising from the party’s primaries.

The changes were conveyed to INEC in a letter jointly signed by APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, who said the substitutions were approved by the party’s National Working Committee NWC after considering the recommendations of the Primary Election Appeal Committee.

Beyond the Senate, the party also replaced 19 House of Representatives candidates across Benue, Kogi, Ondo, Taraba, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Abia and Ebonyi states, with Benue recording the highest number of changes.

Reacting to the development in an interview, APC chieftain, Cletus Obun, said INEC had made clear that no candidate could be substituted outside the outcome of primaries monitored and uploaded by the commission, warning that anyone attempting to import candidates who did not participate in the primaries was working against the party.

He cited the precedent of Zamfara State, where the APC lost all its elective positions in court after fielding candidates who did not go through valid primaries, saying the party could not afford to repeat the same mistake.

“If anybody anywhere in the party wants to undo the party by sabotaging it using this level of subterfuge of importing candidates, then we will look at him and know that he is just nothing but a saboteur,” Obun said, adding that the APC needed to explain the process by which previously disqualified aspirants suddenly became qualified for the revised list.

Obun disclosed that he personally lost out in the appeal process in Cross River State despite over two decades of building the party from the opposition, describing himself as “very, very injured” by the outcome.

He, however, said he would not abandon the party, expressing hope that party leadership would eventually recognise his contributions.

Obun called for an urgent reconciliation committee to address rising anger among foundation members across the country, warning that the APC’s 31 governors could become “a time bomb” if the grievances were not addressed before the 2027 campaigns begin.

Abimbola Tooki, spokesman of the party’s national chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, said the matter was being addressed.

“An internal processes which will be sorted out internally”, he told Sunday Vanguard. (Sunday Vanguard)

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