Several serving members of the House of Representatives have failed to secure return tickets in the primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held across the country ahead of the 2027 general elections.
One of the prominent lawmakers affected was the House Majority Leader, Julius Ihonvbere, who lost his bid for a third term to represent the Owan Federal Constituency of Edo State.
The outcome of the exercise was affected by the alleged zoning arrangement between Owan East and Owan West, under which Ihonvbere lost the APC ticket to ex-Commissioner for Mining, Andrew Ijegbai.
Another APC lawmaker from Edo State, Eseosa Iyawe, failed to secure the ticket for Oredo Federal Constituency.
Iyawe lost to former Commissioner for Education, Dr Paddy Iyamu.
The lawmaker was elected into the House of Representatives on the platform of the Labour Party but later defected to the APC while in the Green Chamber.
Political observers say the outcome of the primaries may reconfigure the political terrain in Edo ahead of the next general elections.
In Imo State, four sitting lawmakers were denied return tickets at the party primaries.
They are: Aboh Mbaise/Ngor Okpala Federal Constituency – Matthew Nwogu; Miriam Onuoha (Okigwe South Federal Constituency); Isu/Njaba/Nkwerre/Nwangele Federal Constituency – Harrison Nwadike; Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Federal Constituency – Emeka Martins Chinedu;
The development has triggered reactions from party supporters in the state, with some attributing the losses to internal political realignments and power blocs within the APC.
The primaries also affected the incumbent representative for Ifelodun/Oyun/Offa Federal Constituency in Kwara State, Ismail Kayode.
Kayode lost the APC ticket to Rafiu Ajakaye, a former Chief Press Secretary to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
It was the same case with incumbent lawmaker, Mansur Musa Jega, who lost the party’s ticket for Jega/Gwandu/Aleiro Federal Constituency in Kebbi State.
Jega, the former Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, emerged as APC candidate after a consensus agreement.
The APC primaries in Jigawa State also produced major upsets as four serving lawmakers lost their bids to return to the House of Representatives.
The affected lawmakers are Muktar Muhammad for Kazaure/Roni/Gwiwa/Yankwashi Federal Constituency, Ibrahim Usman Auyo for Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin Hausa Federal Constituency, Sa’adu Wada Taura for Ringim/Taura Federal Constituency and Yusif Sa’idu Miga for Jahun/Miga Federal Constituency.
