APC House Primaries Throw Party Into Crisis as 26 Lawmakers Lose Tickets

The House of Representatives primaries of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections have triggered a major internal crisis within the ruling party, with at least 26 serving lawmakers losing return tickets amid widespread allegations of manipulation, imposition and political exclusion.

The primaries, conducted across several states, exposed deepening divisions within the APC as governors, influential political blocs and party power brokers battled for control of candidacies ahead of the elections.

The fallout has already generated threats of litigation from aggrieved aspirants and lawmakers who insist the process failed to reflect democratic principles and fairness.

States affected by the controversies include Rivers State, Edo State, Imo State, Lagos State, Kwara State, Benue State, Ekiti State, Plateau State and Cross River State.

The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, confirmed that 14 aspirants were disqualified during the party’s screening process, stating that they failed to meet requirements under the party’s guidelines.

However, the APC did not publicly disclose the specific reasons for the disqualifications.

Among those affected were serving lawmakers Iduma Igariwey from Ebonyi State, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, Anderson Allison and Boma Goodhead from Rivers State.

The disqualification of Rivers politicians further intensified existing tensions within the state’s APC structure, already sharply divided between supporters of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Political observers say the screening exercise in Rivers appeared heavily influenced by the prolonged struggle for control of political structures ahead of the 2027 elections.

Several figures believed to be aligned with Wike were cleared by the party, including former PDP chairman Felix Obuah and Senator Allwell Onyesoh.

Meanwhile, aspirants considered close to Fubara reportedly failed to secure clearance.

Former presidential aspirant Tein Jackrich, former Secretary to the Rivers State Government Tammy Danagogo and security official Ojukaye Flag-Amachree were also disqualified.

Party insiders accused the APC leadership of using the screening process to weaken political opponents and engineer predetermined outcomes.

One party source alleged that the process had become “a tool for settling political scores” rather than a transparent exercise based on merit and popularity.

In one of the biggest upsets of the primaries, House Leader Julius Ihonvbere reportedly lost the APC ticket for Owan Federal Constituency in Edo State to former Commissioner for Mining Andrew Ijegbai.

Ihonvbere rejected the outcome and vowed to challenge the result through the party’s appeal mechanism.

“I did not lose the election,” he declared, alleging irregularities in the conduct of the exercise.

The APC primaries are being closely watched nationwide because they are expected to shape political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Analysts say the scale of dissatisfaction emerging from the exercise could lead to further defections, legal disputes and internal instability within the ruling party if reconciliation efforts fail.

The controversies also highlight the growing influence of governors and regional power blocs in determining party nominations, especially in states where political structures remain tightly controlled by dominant figures.