APC NWC overrules Alia, Aiyedatiwa on candidates’ list

Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, and his Ondo counterpart, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, may have lost out in the power play over the contentious National Assembly primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as all their preferred candidates failed to secure the party’s tickets for the 2027 general elections.

The defeat came after the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) concluded the uploading of successful candidates into the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination portal at the weekend, with none of the aspirants loyal to either of the governors making the final list.

According to findings, the development has triggered fresh political moves by both governors as they scramble for alternative options for their loyalists, with Aiyedatiwa rushing back to Akure after unsuccessful last-minute efforts to overturn the decision of the party’s appeal committee.

The committee had returned candidates other than his preferred choices, and his hurried return signalled the depth of the setback.

Meanwhile, fresh protests have erupted in the riverine Ilaje Local Council of Ondo State over the NWC’s decision to retain a serving House of Representatives member, Donald Ojogo, whose appeal was upheld by the party.

National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, had announced last Sunday the successful upload of all 471 candidates of the party for the 2027 general elections, declaring that the party’s focus now shifts to mobilisation and preparations for a decisive victory at the polls.

Also, the NWC had on Monday last week reshuffled its National Assembly tickets in Ondo State, replacing eight candidates who initially emerged from the party’s primary elections after upholding petitions filed by aggrieved aspirants.

HOWEVER, former governorship candidate of the APC in Edo State, Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has accepted the outcome of the party’s Edo South senatorial primary and called on his supporters to unite behind the party and its candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Ize-Iyamu, in a statement he personally signed, said the primary election held on May 18, 2026, had concluded the party’s democratic process and urged party members to embrace the outcome in the interest of unity and progress.

The APC chieftain, while addressing his supporters after consultations with party leaders, members, women, youths, and stakeholders within and outside the country, said he remained committed to the growth of the party despite the outcome of the contest.

He stressed that the APC’s collective interest should take precedence over personal ambitions, describing the ruling party as a platform founded on service, sacrifice and discipline.

He, however, expressed appreciation to his supporters, coordinators, volunteers, and grassroots mobilisers for their loyalty and commitment throughout the primary campaign.