Fresh details have emerged on the factors that led the All Progressives Congress (APC) to replace former Benue State Governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, and several other National Assembly candidates on its final list submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). According to a report by Vanguard, beyond the party's official explanation, internal political calculations and efforts to strengthen the influence of governors and key stakeholders played a major role in the decision.
The APC had attributed the changes to the recommendations of its Primary Election Appeal Committee, saying the revised list reflected the outcome of appeals from the party's primary elections.
In a letter forwarding the updated list to INEC, the party stated:
"Following determination of appeals from the recently concluded primary elections, the reports of the Appeal Committee were reviewed and subsequently considered and approved by the NWC of the APC as the party's final position on the affected constituencies."
However, party insiders told *Vanguard* that some of the substitutions were driven by political considerations beyond the appeal process.
A senior APC source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Suswam's removal from the Benue North East senatorial ticket was linked to the ongoing struggle for political influence in Benue State involving Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, and Governor Hyacinth Alia.
"Suswam was sacrificed to please Akume," the source was quoted as saying.
The source added that the review of disputed primary results was also aimed at restoring the influence of governors and other critical stakeholders in state chapters where disagreements had trailed the party's primaries.
The report further stated that the APC has empowered governors to play a more active role in the distribution and processing of INEC nomination forms as part of efforts to resolve lingering disputes over candidate selection.
Although the party has forwarded nomination forms to its State Working Committees, candidates with the backing of governors and influential stakeholders are said to have a better chance of completing the nomination process.
APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka confirmed that the party received more than 700 petitions following the primaries and said its immediate priority was ensuring candidates meet INEC's deadline for uploading nomination particulars.
"They are to complete and return the forms to the party for upload to the INEC portal, so making the list public is not our priority now," Morka said.
He added that the APC would release its full list of candidates after the nomination process is completed.
The latest revelations come as the ruling party moves to calm discontent arising from its primary elections, with APC governors expected to engage the party's national leadership in talks aimed at resolving outstanding disputes ahead of the 2027 general elections.
