- INEC released the final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections on Saturday, August 1, leaving several high-profile politicians off the register
- Ned Nwoko, Garba Maidoki, and other APC figures were absent from the list despite Senate President Akpabio’s earlier assurances to affected lawmakers
- The omissions come roughly two months after Akpabio pledged that the APC leadership was working to resolve grievances from the party primaries
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released its final list of candidates for the 2027 general elections on Saturday, and a number of prominent politicians failed to appear on it, despite earlier assurances from the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership was addressing complaints from lawmakers who lost their return tickets during the party’s primaries.
Among the notable absentees was former President Goodluck Jonathan, whom a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), led by Tanimu Turaki, had claimed to have submitted to INEC as its presidential candidate. Jonathan’s name did not appear on the commission’s register.
List of APC senators who didn’t make the list
Ned Nwoko
The senator representing Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Nwoko, was also missing from INEC’s published list, marking a significant setback for the incumbent lawmaker ahead of the 2027 polls.
Gbenga Daniel
Former Ogun State governor Gbenga Daniel, who had been linked to the Ogun East Senatorial District race, equally failed to make the final cut, leaving his political ambitions in the balance.
Daniel currently represents Ogun East senatorial district in the National Assembly.
Danjuma Goje
Former Gombe State governor Danjuma Goje, currently representing the Gombe Central Senatorial District, was another high-profile figure whose name did not appear in INEC’s final candidates list.
Garba Maidoki
The senator representing Kebbi South, Garba Maidoki, rounds out the group of sitting lawmakers and former governors who were conspicuously absent from the commission’s official register.
Akpabio’s promise to senators
The absences carry particular weight given that Akpabio, roughly two months ago, had publicly assured senators who lost their bids during the APC primaries that the party’s leadership was actively working to resolve the fallout from that exercise. The release of INEC’s final list suggests those efforts did not translate into outcomes for several of the affected lawmakers.
Analysts have posited that the outcome of the primaries could lead to divisions within the ruling party, considering the fact that the affected senators are influential in their state and controlled large number of voters.
Source: Legit.ng