By The Metro 
A fresh dispute may be looming between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the ruling party reviewed the outcome of its National Assembly primaries and restored several serving senators who had initially lost their tickets.
According to a report by The Punch, the APC National Working Committee approved the changes following recommendations by the party’s Primary Election Appeal Committee, reversing the outcome of some senatorial primaries in nine states and replacing candidates earlier declared winners.
Among those whose tickets were restored are Senators Sunday Karimi (Kogi West), Emmanuel Udende (Benue North-East), Titus Zam (Benue North-West), Shuaibu Isa Lau (Taraba North), Adeniyi Adegbonmire (Ondo Central) and Olajide Ipinsagba (Ondo North). In Abia South, Prince Paul Ikonne replaced Edinburgh Erondu as the party’s candidate.
The review came after a wave of petitions from aspirants who challenged the conduct and outcome of the primaries. One of the biggest changes saw former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam lose the Benue North-East ticket he had earlier secured, with the APC restoring the nomination of incumbent Senator Emmanuel Udende.
However, the party’s revised list may face another hurdle after INEC insisted that only candidates whose names correspond with the results of primaries monitored and uploaded by the commission would be accepted during the nomination process.
INEC National Commissioner Mohammed Kudu Haruna said the commission had already uploaded the authentic results of monitored primaries. He stressed that political parties would not be able to upload names different from those already contained in INEC’s database because the commission’s electronic nomination portal had been programmed to reject any discrepancy.
“Now, we call it submission; when they come to submit, if it is different from what we uploaded, because in uploading we work hand in glove with them, if it is different it won’t even go.”
Haruna explained that the safeguard was introduced to prevent the post-primary substitutions that resulted in prolonged legal disputes after previous elections.
Party sources told The Punch that the restoration of some lawmakers followed consultations involving President Bola Tinubu, the APC leadership, governors, traditional rulers and other influential stakeholders as the party sought to resolve disputes and avoid a prolonged internal crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to the sources, political compromises were reached in states including Ondo and Benue to balance the interests of rival party blocs, while the views of some traditional rulers also influenced the outcome of the appeal process in states such as Taraba and Kwara.
The development has also renewed attention on the amended Electoral Act 2026, which tightened rules on candidate nomination and limited the substitution of candidates after party primaries. The law also bars politicians from defecting to another party after membership registers have been submitted to INEC for the same election cycle, leaving many unsuccessful aspirants with limited political options.
The APC’s review produced different outcomes across the country. While some serving senators and House of Representatives members regained or retained their tickets, others remained unsuccessful despite appealing the results of the primaries.
Although the appeal process has reshaped the party’s National Assembly tickets in several states, attention is now expected to shift to INEC’s verification process.
With the electoral commission insisting that only candidates whose names match the results of monitored primaries will be accepted on its nomination portal, the APC’s revised list could face fresh legal challenges ahead of the 2027 general elections.