The All Progressives Congress (APC) is facing growing internal disputes following the submission of its revised list of National Assembly candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with some aggrieved aspirants challenging the outcome in court and stakeholders in parts of the country calling for fresh representation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite the concerns, the party has described the matter as an internal process that is being handled through its established mechanisms.
Former senator representing Ekiti North, Ayo Arise, said he had instituted legal action to challenge the outcome of the APC senatorial primary in his district, maintaining that he emerged as the lawful winner of the exercise.
Arise said he filed the suit immediately after the primary in line with the timelines provided under the Electoral Act and was therefore not surprised when his name was omitted from the party’s revised list of candidates.
According to him, the lawsuit is aimed at ensuring political parties comply with their guidelines and uphold democratic principles rather than advancing personal ambition. He alleged that many aspirants were encouraged to await decisions from the party’s national leadership despite provisions in the APC guidelines outlining the conclusion of the primary process.
“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.
He expressed confidence that the judiciary would determine whether the party followed its rules and said he believed he would be reinstated as the candidate.
In Ondo State, stakeholders from Okeigbo in Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo Local Government Area called for a new representative for the Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, citing what they described as years of poor representation and inadequate development.
The position was contained in a statement issued on their behalf by APC chieftain Fayemisi Tosin, who said dissatisfaction among residents had increased over what they described as limited federal presence, poor infrastructure, youth unemployment and a lack 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 disputes followed the APC’s submission of a revised list of National Assembly candidates to INEC after the party reviewed appeals arising from its primaries.
In a letter signed by APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and National Secretary Ajibola Basiru, the party said the substitutions were approved by its National Working Committee (NWC) based on recommendations of the Primary Election Appeal Committee.
The revised list included changes to several Senate and House of Representatives candidates across Benue, Kogi, Ondo, Taraba, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Abia and Ebonyi states, with Benue recording the highest number of substitutions.
Reacting to the development, APC chieftain Cletus Obun cautioned against the replacement of candidates outside the outcome of party primaries monitored by INEC, arguing that such actions could expose the party to legal challenges.
Obun cited the precedent of Zamfara State, where the APC lost its elective positions following court rulings over its primary process, warning against what he described as attempts to substitute candidates who did not participate in valid primaries.
“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 nothing but a saboteur,” he said.
Obun, who said he lost out during the appeal process in Cross River State despite years of service to the party, called for the establishment of a reconciliation committee to address grievances among party members before preparations for the 2027 general elections intensify.
Responding to the controversy, the spokesman for the APC National Chairman, Abimbola Tooki, said the issues were internal and were being addressed by the party.
“It is an internal process which will be sorted out internally,” he said.
