APC substitutes names of Senatorial Candidates, submits final list comprising 36 states to INEC

Ahead of the general elections in 2023, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has concluded party primaries to elect Candidates for the various elective positions. Though certain states have been plagued with controversies, the party has included the names of two prominent members, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senator Ahmed Lawan, who were Presidential Aspirants, as Senatorial candidates for their respective Senatorial Districts.

This decision made by the party, has caused disaffection, with the previous winners of the party primaries, threatening to take legal action. The Senate President, Lawan who was initially presented as the consensus Presidential candidate, was rejected by several party stakeholders, including members of the national working committee (NWC) and Bola Tinubu, former Lagos governor, went on to win the party’s ticket at the primary which was concluded on June 8.

But shortly after loosing at the Presidential Primary, Lawan had made moves to become the APC candidate for Yobe North Senatorial district, despite Bashir Machina, winning the Senatorial primary.

Machina has insisted that he would not withdraw from the senatorial race since he got the votes of delegates in an unopposed election and has threatened to seek legal redress over alleged substitution of his name with that of the Senate President.

Similarly, former Akwa Ibom State governor and former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, was also reported to have made the list for Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial district even after former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr Udom EKpoudom (rtd.), vowed not to relinquish the APC senatorial ticket he won on May 27, 2022 to Akpabio or anyone, no matter the pressure mounted on him.

The chairman of the party in the state, Mr Stephen Ntuekpo, citing security infractions in the May 27, 2022 APC primary in the district, had said he was directed to conduct a fresh primary on June 8, 2022. The fresh primary produced Akpabio as the winner, having scored 478 votes out of 512 accredited delegates.

Interestingly, the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Akwa Ibom State, Barrister, Mike Igini had said that the report of the Independent National Electoral Commission on the Akwa Ibom North-West (Ikot Ekpene) senatorial ticket is “final and cannot be reopened again,” adding that Senator Godswill Akpabio has nothing to do about it.

Speaking on Tuesday at the Comfort FM news and Current Affairs programme in Uyo, Igini, had said the re-run primary that led to the emergence of Senator Godswill Akpabio as the All Progressives Congress candidate for the district is strange and unknown to law.

According to him, the May 27, 2022 primary, which produced Ekpoudum, subsists because it was not cancelled, neither was it rendered inconclusive. He added that Senator Akpabio’s emergence is nothing but a “Nollywood fantasy.”

Africa Update gathered that APC has submitted a list of Senatorial Candidates for the 36 states with Akpabio and Lawan making the list. Below is the list of Senatorial Candidates from the 36 states:

ABIA STATE
Chief Hon. Emeka Atuma (Abia Central)
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North)
Hon. Blessing Nwagba (Abia South)

ADAMAWA STATE
Abdulaziz Nyako (Adamawa Central)
Elisha Cliff Ishaku (Adamawa North)
Adamu Ismaila (Adamawa South)

AKWA IBOM STATE
Emaeyak Ukpong (Akwa Ibom North East)
Sen. Godswill Obot Akpabio (Akwa Ibom North West)
Martins Udo-Inyang (Akwa Ibom South)

ANAMBRA STATE
Okelekwe E. Boniface (Anambra Central)
Ify E. Anaozuonwu (Anambra North)
Hon. Chukwuma Umeoji (Anambra South)

BAUCHI STATE
Uba Nana Umar (Bauchi Central)
Sirajo Tanko Mohammed (Bauchi North)
Shehu Buba Umar (Bauchi South)

BAYELSA STATE
Timipa Orunimighe (Bayelsa Central)
Degi-Eremienyo (Bayelsa East) *****
Wilson Dauyegha (Bayelsa West)

BENUE STATE
Hon. Emmanuel Udende (Benue North East)
Titus Zam (Benue North West)
Daniel Onjeh (Benue South)

BORNO STATE
Kashim Shettima (Borno Central)
Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North)
Mohammed Ali Ndume (Borno South)

CROSS-RIVER STATE
Hon. Eteng J. Williams (Cross-River Central)
Hon. Martin Orim (Cross-River North)
Asuquo Ekpeyong (Cross-River South)

DELTA STATE
Ede Dafinone (Delta Central)
Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta North)
Joel Onowakpo Thomas (Delta South)

EBONYI STATE
Emeka Kenneth Eze (Ebonyi Central)
Onyeka Nwaebonyi Peter (Ebonyi North)
Dave Nweze Umahi (Ebonyi South)

EDO STATE
Monday Okpebholo (Edo Central)
Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North)
Valentine Asuen (Edo South)

EKITI STATE
Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central)
Cyril Oluwole Fasuyi (Ekiti North)
Adaramodu Adeyemo (Ekiti South)

ENUGU STATE
Adaku Ogbu Aguocha (Enugu East)
Simon Ejike Eze (Enugu North)
Oby Nwofor (Enugu South)

GOMBE STATE
Mohammed Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central)
Sa’idu Ahmed Alkali (Gombe North)
Joshua M. Lidani (Gombe South)

IMO STATE
Prince Alex Mbata (Imo East)
Hon. Patrick Ndubueze (Imo North)
Sen. Osita Izunaso (Imo West)

JIGAWA STATE
Ahmed Abdulhamid (Jigawa North-East)
Babangida Hussaini (Jigawa North-West)
Tijjani Ibrahim Kiyawa (Jigawa South-West)

KADUNA STATE
Muhammad Sani Abdullahi (Kaduna Central)
Suleiman Abdu Kwari (Kaduna North)
Bulus Audu (Kaduna South)

KANO STATE
Abdulsalam Zaura (Kano Central)
Sen. Barau Jibrin (Kano North)
Sen. Kabiru Gaya (Kano South)

KATSINA STATE
AbdulAziz Musa Yar’Adua (Katsina Central)
Nasiru Sani Zangon Daura (Katsina North)
Mukhtar Muhammed Dandutse (Katsina South)

KEBBI STATE
Sen. Atiku Abubakar Bagudu (Kebbi Central)
Hussaini Sulaiman Kangiwa (Kebbi North)
Sen. Bala Ibn Na’Allah (Kebbi South)

KOGI STATE
Ohere Abubakar (Kogi Central)
Sen Isah Jibrin (Kogi East)
Karimi Sunday Steve (Kogi West)

KWARA STATE
Saliu Mustapha (Kwara Central)
Sadiq Suleiman Umar (Kwara North)
Sen. Lola Issa Ashiru (Kwara South)

LAGOS STATE
Hon. Eshilokun Wasiu Sanni (Lagos Central)
Sen. Mukhail A. Abiru (Lagos East)
Idiat Oluranti Adebule (Lagos West)

NASARAWA STATE
Danladi Halilu ESQ (Nasarawa North)
Tanko Almakura (Nasarawa South)
Shehu Tukur (Nasarawa West)

NIGER STATE
Mohammed Sani Musa (Niger East)
Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger North)
Bima Muhammad Enagi (Niger South)

OGUN STATE
Shuaib Salisu (Ogun Central)
Olugbenga Daniel (Ogun East)
Sen. Olamilekan Adeola (Ogun West)

ONDO SOUTH
Adeniyi Adegbonire SAN (Ondo Central)
Ipinsagba Olajide (Ondo North)
Jimoh Ibrahim (Ondo South)

OSUN STATE
Ajibola Basiru (Osun Central)
Israel Famurewa (Osun East)
Amidu Tadese Raheem (Osun West)

OYO STATE
Dr. Yunus Akintunde (Oyo Central)
Sen. Fatai Buhari (Oyo North)
Sarafa Ali (Oyo South)

PLATEAU STATE
Hon. Diiket Satso Plang (Plateau Central)
Christopher Giwa (Plateau North)
Rt. Hon. Simon B. Lalong (Plateau South)

RIVERS STATE
Ndubuisi U. Nwankwo (Rivers East)
Oji N. Ngofa (Rivers South East)
Asita Honourable O. (Rivers West)

SOKOTO STATE
Ibrahim Lamido (Sokoto East)
Sen. Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako (Sokoto North)
Ibrahim Danbaba Abdullahi (Sokoto South)

TARABA STATE
Marafa Bashir Abba (Taraba Central)
Sani Danladi Abubakar (Taraba North)
Danjuma Usman Shiddi (Taraba South)

YOBE STATE
Ibrahim Gaidam (Yobe East)
Sen. Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North)
Sen. Mohammed Bomai (Yobe South)

ZAMFARA STATE
Sen. Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central)
Sen. Sahabi Alhaji Ya’u (Zamfara North)
AbdulAziz Yari Abubakar (Zamfara West)

FCT
Hon. Zakaria Angulu