…Buhari, Abdulsalami Sons Clinch Tickets, Waive Returns in Delta, Heavyweights Crash Out, Defections Backfire
By Chike Ofili
Shockwaves, dramatic comebacks, bruising defeats and emotional outbursts defined the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives primaries held across the country at the weekend, as political giants fell, new power blocs emerged and some of Nigeria’s most closely watched lawmakers saw their ambitions either revived or abruptly terminated.
From Delta to Edo, Benue to Plateau, and Rivers to Katsina, the ruling party’s primaries delivered a gripping mix of victories, humiliation, revenge and political irony ahead of the 2027 general elections.
One of the biggest talking points emerged from Delta State, where political karma appeared to complete a full circle in the Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency.
In 2023, Hon. Ngozi Okolie stunned the political establishment when he rode on the Labour Party’s Obidient wave to unseat then House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, in one of the most shocking upsets of the election season.
But three years later, Elumelu has dramatically turned the tables.
Now both members of the APC after defecting from their former parties, Elumelu defeated Okolie in Saturday’s APC primary to clinch the party’s ticket for the Aniocha/Oshimili seat, delivering a stunning political comeback against the man who once ended his reign in the National Assembly.
For many observers, the symbolism was impossible to ignore. Okolie had dumped the Labour Party for the APC in 2025, citing internal crisis and the need to align with the ruling party for constituency development. But the move that was expected to strengthen his political future instead exposed him to the brutal realities of party structure politics.
The drama intensified after viral videos showed the visibly stunned lawmaker arriving at the venue of the exercise only to discover that voting had allegedly been concluded before the scheduled time.
“I have come to cast my vote for the election primaries, which is supposed to start at 11 o’clock,” Okolie said at the venue.
“It’s now 10 minutes to 11 and I understand that it’s being concluded. So it’s just for the records anyway.”
His comments immediately triggered outrage and mockery online, with critics arguing that the lawmaker underestimated the internal machinery of the ruling party he joined barely a year earlier.
However, APC officials in Oshimili South dismissed his complaints, insisting the process followed due procedure and that Elumelu enjoyed overwhelming support across the wards.
While Okolie’s fall became one of the biggest stories of the primaries, another Delta lawmaker, Hon. Ejiro Waive, emerged smiling from the exercise after securing the APC ticket for the Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency.
Waive’s victory has now positioned him for a possible third term in the House of Representatives if he succeeds at the general election.
In neighbouring Edo State, another major upset unfolded as House of Representatives Majority Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, lost his re-election bid after finishing third in the APC primary for Owan Federal Constituency.
Former Commissioner for Mining, Andrew Ijegbai, won the ticket with 3,695 votes, while Ihonvbere polled only 1,005 votes in a result that stunned party loyalists and signalled shifting political currents within the state chapter of the APC.
The wave of casualties extended to Plateau State, where ranking lawmaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Navy, Yusuf Gagdi, failed to secure a return ticket for a third term.
Gagdi suffered a crushing defeat to John Tongshinen, who polled 29,968 votes against the lawmaker’s 5,849 votes in the Pankshin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency primary.
Benue State also produced major political casualties, as six serving APC lawmakers loyal to Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, lost their return tickets in what many interpreted as a consolidation of Governor Hyacinth Alia’s growing control over the state APC structure.
Among those who lost were Austin Achado, David Ogewu, Terseer Ugbor, Sekav Iyortyom and Dickson Tarkighir.
Only four incumbents survived the political storm, including Regina Akume, wife of the SGF.
In Rivers State, loyalists of FCT Minister Nyesom Wike tightened their grip on the APC structure amid the ongoing political war with Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, emerged unopposed for the Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency ticket, while several other Wike-backed candidates swept through the primaries.
Reports also indicated that aspirants believed to be loyal to Fubara, including serving lawmakers, were screened out before the exercise.
But perhaps the most symbolic victories of the primaries came from northern Nigeria, where sons of two former Nigerian leaders secured APC tickets in commanding fashion.
In Katsina State, Yusuf Muhammadu Buhari defeated Auwal Lawal Musa, son of former DSS Director-General Lawal Musa Daura, to clinch the APC ticket for the Daura/Sandamu/Mai’Adua Federal Constituency.
Yusuf Buhari polled an overwhelming 17,342 votes against his rival’s 480 votes in a primary widely described as peaceful and orderly.
Similarly, in Niger State, Adamu Abubakar secured the APC ticket for Chanchaga Federal Constituency after defeating his closest rival with a landslide margin.
Meanwhile, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, cruised to victory unopposed as delegates unanimously endorsed him for a fifth term.
Across Kaduna and several other states, former commissioners, ex-lawmakers, and political newcomers also emerged victorious in primaries the APC described as transparent and reflective of its commitment to internal democracy.
Yet, despite the party’s official optimism, the primaries have left behind bruised egos, allegations of manipulation, emotional scenes, and growing debate over whether influence, structure, and political godfathers mattered more than popularity at the grassroots.
For some politicians, Saturday’s exercise marked the rebirth of stalled ambitions.
For others, it was a harsh reminder that in Nigerian politics, today’s giant can quickly become tomorrow’s casualty.