APC Drops Suswam, 25 Others From Final National Assembly Candidate List

The All Progressives Congress has dropped former Benue State governor Gabriel Suswam, former House of Representatives member Gbenga Elegbeleye and 24 other National Assembly candidates from its final list submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Vanguard and Premium Times reported that the changes were approved by the APC National Working Committee after reviewing recommendations from the party’s Primary Election Appeal Committee.

The affected aspirants include seven senatorial nominees and 19 House of Representatives candidates who had emerged from the APC primaries held in May. Premium Times reported that the changes cut across Benue, Ondo, Kogi, Abia, Taraba, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna and Ebonyi states.

According to both reports, the changes were communicated to INEC in a letter signed by APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and National Secretary Ajibola Basiru.

In Benue North-East, Suswam was replaced by Emmanuel Udende. In Ondo North, Elegbeleye was replaced by Olajide Ipinsagba. Premium Times also reported changes involving Kogi West, Abia South, Benue North-West, Taraba North and Ondo Central.

The APC said the updated list was transmitted in line with the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s guidelines on candidate nomination. The report makes the appeal process the basis for the party’s revised list of National Assembly candidates.

The development is likely to trigger fresh political reactions in the affected states, especially where aspirants had already emerged from the May primaries before the appeal committee review.

The draft keeps the substitutions source-specific and does not list every affected constituency because the source tables are longer than the core news point. The central fact is the APC’s final list revision after the appeal review.

Sources: Vanguard, Premium Times