Senate President Godswill Akpabio has raised hopes for dozens of APC lawmakers who lost their re-election bids during the recently concluded party primaries, assuring them that the Senate leadership is actively working to reverse some of the outcomes. Speaking on Tuesday as the red chamber resumed plenary after a four-week recess granted for primary elections, Akpabio said the leadership never anticipated the scale of losses recorded across party lines. He promised that efforts were underway to secure return tickets for affected colleagues.
What Did Akpabio Say About Senators’ Return Tickets?
Akpabio, who clinched the APC ticket for Akwa Ibom North-West through affirmation, told senators that the chamber’s leadership had expected only a handful of casualties. “I know that there will always be victories and disappointments,” he said, “yet above every individual triumph stands a greater triumph, the triumph of democracy itself.” He added that the Senate Leader and the chamber’s leadership were “working very hard” to ensure there would be “very few disappointments” in the end. He did not spell out how this would be achieved, leaving room for speculation about possible political negotiations or legal avenues.
Which Senators Lost Their APC Primaries?
More than 20 senators, mostly from the ruling All Progressives Congress, were knocked out during the primaries. Some fell to challengers at the polls. Others were disqualified during screening. Notable casualties include Deputy Senate Leader Oyelola Ashiru, who lost in Kwara South; Ned Nwoko, defeated by former governor Ifeanyi Okowa in Delta North; and Neda Imasuen, who came up short in Edo South. Others like Gbenga Daniel, Danjuma Goje, and Osita Izunaso also failed to secure their tickets. Several lawmakers who recently defected from opposition parties to the APC were disqualified outright, including Benson Agadaga, Garba Maidoki, and Banigo Ipalibo.
How the Electoral Act 2026 Changed the Game
The wave of losses has drawn attention to the Electoral Act 2026 amendment, which tightened rules on party membership and candidate nominations. The amendment to Section 83 bars politicians from switching parties after membership registers have been submitted to INEC for the same election cycle. Ironically, some of the lawmakers who championed this anti-defection provision found themselves caught in the same net they helped weave. With the party membership register deadline now passed, many of the affected senators cannot simply jump to another platform to pursue their ambitions.
As the 2027 general elections draw closer, the battle for the soul of the National Assembly is already taking shape. Whether Akpabio’s intervention will translate into actual return tickets for his colleagues remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the primaries have reshaped the political landscape in ways few expected.
