The All Progressives Congress (APC) has removed former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam, and five other senatorial aspirants from its final list of candidates submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following a review of appeals arising from its primary elections.

The decision, approved by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), also affected 19 House of Representatives candidates who had initially emerged victorious during the APC primaries conducted in May 2026.

Former member of the House of Representatives from Ondo State, Gbenga Elegbeleye, was among the notable figures whose names were excluded from the final list transmitted to the electoral commission.

According to documents submitted to INEC, the affected constituencies are spread across Abia, Kogi, Taraba, Benue, Ebonyi, Ondo, Kaduna, Niger and Kwara states.

In a letter jointly signed by APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, the party explained that the adjustments followed recommendations contained in the report of its Primary Election Appeal Committee.

Titled “Forwarding of Approved List of Senatorial and House of Representatives Candidates,” the letter stated that the party had carefully reviewed appeals arising from the primaries before adopting the committee’s recommendations as its final position.

The APC said the revised list was submitted in compliance with the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC’s nomination guidelines.

The latest development comes as the ruling party moves to conclude its candidate nomination process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Among prominent APC figures whose candidacies have been cleared are Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole, all of whom have received their Candidate Affidavit Forms (EC9).

The party also approved the senatorial ambitions of four serving governors — AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara, Hope Uzodimma of Imo, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa and Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe.

In Kaduna State, former Governor Mukhtar Yero, Senator Shehu Sani and Senator Sunday Katung also secured clearance to contest senatorial seats on the APC platform.

Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello equally made the final list, emerging as the party’s candidate for Kogi Central Senatorial District. He is among the 109 senatorial candidates fielded by the APC nationwide.

For the House of Representatives, notable candidates include Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, Mudashiru Obasa and James Faleke, all of whom are expected to fly the party’s flag in their respective constituencies.

The submission of candidates’ particulars to INEC follows the ratification of the party’s primary election results and subsequent reviews prompted by appeals from aggrieved aspirants.

INEC opened its nomination portal for presidential and National Assembly candidates on June 27 and is expected to close the exercise by 6 p.m. on July 10.

Political parties are required to upload Form EC9, which contains candidates’ personal particulars, alongside accompanying nomination documents, including Forms EC9A to EC9E.

Ahead of the nomination exercise, the electoral commission conducted a two-day training for political party officials on the use of its Candidate Nomination Portal (ICNP), providing stakeholders with access codes and technical guidance.

Speaking earlier on the importance of the process, Acting Director-General of the Electoral Institute, Prof. Ibrahim Sani, described candidate nomination as one of the most critical stages of the electoral cycle, stressing that compliance with legal and procedural requirements was essential to the credibility of elections.

Meanwhile, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, disclosed that the party received more than 700 petitions from dissatisfied members during the primary election process.

Despite growing public interest in the final candidate list, Morka said the APC’s immediate focus remains ensuring that all approved candidates complete the required documentation and meet INEC’s submission deadline.

“Our priority is to ensure that candidates fill and return their nomination forms for upload to the INEC portal. The publication of the final list will come later,” he said.

He added that all successful candidates had already been notified and issued the necessary forms, dismissing concerns over uncertainty within the party’s ranks.