By Sandra Ugwu

No fewer than 70 serving members of the National Assembly on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have lost their bids to secure return tickets for the 2027 general elections following the party’s ongoing primaries.

The affected lawmakers include both senators and members of the House of Representatives, with several others also stepping down or withdrawing from the race.

Among the high-profile casualties are Ned Nwoko, Gbenga Daniel, Osita Izunaso, Emmanuel Udende, Titus Zam and Saliu Mustapha.

According to reports, APC currently has 330 lawmakers in the National Assembly, comprising 242 members of the House of Representatives and 88 senators. Preliminary outcomes indicate that at least 58 House members and 12 senators may not return to the legislature in 2027.

Some former lawmakers elected under the Labour Party who later defected to APC also failed in their attempts to secure tickets. They include Neda Imasuen, Esosa Iyawe and others.

The primaries have also generated widespread protests and complaints across several states, with aggrieved aspirants rejecting results and alleging irregularities.

In Ondo State, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire reportedly escaped harm after armed men attacked his polling unit during the exercise. Witnesses said panic broke out after gunmen disrupted voting and fired shots into the air, forcing party members and officials to flee.

Reacting to the incident, Adegbonmire described the process as a "complete charade," alleging intimidation and violence against his supporters.

Meanwhile, uncertainty continues to trail some outcomes of the primaries after the APC national leadership insisted that only results announced by the party headquarters in Abuja would be considered final.

The development has triggered disputes in several states, including Delta, Kaduna, Zamfara, Ekiti and Cross River, where some aspirants rejected declared outcomes and accused party officials of manipulation, imposition of candidates and violations of electoral guidelines.

The APC National Assembly Primaries Appeal Committee has also begun reviewing petitions submitted by aggrieved aspirants and stakeholders over the conduct of the exercise.