The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday released the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections, bringing months of political uncertainty to an end.
Several prominent politicians were absent from the list, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, whom the Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had claimed as its presidential candidate.
Also missing were the senator representing Delta North, Ned Nwoko; former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel (Ogun East); former Gombe State Governor Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central); and the senator representing Kebbi South, Garba Maidoki.
The development comes two months after Senate President Godswill Akpabio assured lawmakers who lost their return tickets during the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries that the party leadership was working to resolve grievances arising from the exercise.
Although the APC reinstated six serving senators after reviewing petitions submitted to its Primary Election Appeal Committee, several influential politicians who had hoped to benefit from the review remained excluded from the final list submitted to INEC.
In Delta State, Nwoko’s name was absent from the list displayed at the INEC office in Asaba, with former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa confirmed as the APC’s senatorial candidate for Delta North. The outcome confirmed Nwoko’s earlier defeat in the party’s primary election.
In Gombe State, former governor Danjuma Goje also failed to secure the APC ticket, losing to retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohammed Ahmed. On the opposition side, former Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo emerged as the PDP candidate for Gombe North Senatorial District, while Senator Anthony Siyako secured the party’s ticket for Gombe South.
In Bauchi State, Senator Shehu Buba, who represents Bauchi South, and Mansur Soro, the member representing Darazo/Ganjuwa Federal Constituency, were also absent from the final list.
Buba, who was elected on the APC platform, will not seek re-election after defecting to the Peoples Redemption Party, where he secured the party’s governorship ticket. Soro had earlier announced that he would not contest either the Bauchi Central Senatorial seat or another term in the House of Representatives.
The APC’s review of its primary election results affected nine states — Kogi, Benue, Taraba, Ondo, Abia, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna and Ebonyi — and resulted in the reinstatement of Senators Sunday Karimi, Emmanuel Udende, Titus Zam, Shuaibu Isa Lau, Adeniyi Adegbonmire and Olajide Ipinsagba.
The party also replaced Edinburgh Uchenna Erondu with Prince Paul Ikonne as its candidate for Abia South Senatorial District.
One of the most notable outcomes of the review was the reversal of former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam’s earlier primary victory, with the APC restoring the ticket to incumbent Senator Emmanuel Udende.
