Primaries fallout: Defeated gubernatorial aspirants, senators, Reps perfect defection moves

•ADC, PRP, NDC top list of preferred parties as Abuja court ruling opens the floodgates
•Defections hit Bauchi, Jigawa

The ruling of the Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja last week, which set aside parts of the electoral timetable set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), appears to have opened the floodgates of defection for some defeated governorship aspirants of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as well as some defeated senators and members of the House of Representatives.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune indicated that many of the defeated governorship aspirants of the APC were already perfecting plans to defect to other political parties, with sources declaring that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have become clear favourites for the aspirants.

Sources close to the ruling party confirmed last weekend that many of the defeated aspirants in Edo, Benue, Plateau, Oyo, Jigawa, Gombe, Nasarawa, Bauchi, and Kwara have entered into discussions with rival parties and that the decisions are expected to be consummated during the week.

No fewer than 70 members of the National Assembly lost their bid to return to the chambers through the primaries of the APC held last week, with several gubernatorial aspirants also falling by the wayside.

It was gathered that while some of the aspirants are still awaiting the result of the Appeal Committee for the primaries, others have already opened discussions with the rival parties, including the ADC and the NDC. It was, however, gathered that parties like the Accord Party, the Action Democratic Party (ADP), and others may also benefit from the gale of defections.

Justice Muhammed Umar of the Federal High Court, Abuja, ruled last Thursday that the electoral commission lacked the power to reduce the timeline for the submission of the list of candidates and the register of political parties, except as provided for in the Electoral Act 2026.

The Electoral Act provides that political parties have up to 120 days before the election to submit details of their candidates.

Many senators, who either lost their primary elections for the 2027 polls or were disqualified by political parties, were caught in a quandary as the primaries closed last week, but the ruling of the Federal High Court appeared to have come handy as a lifeline, sources said.

The guidelines set by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) requiring all political parties to submit the registration details of their membership, both in hard and digital versions, by May 10, 2026, looked like a major stumbling block to anyone who lost out to secure alternative platforms, as the senators, Rep members, and governorship aspirants appeared trapped in their original parties.

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Justice M.G. Umar, who ruled in a suit filed by the Youth Party, which asked INEC to follow the 120 days pre-election deadline set by the Electoral Act 2026 for political parties to submit their register of members, instead of abridging the timeline had declared: “A Declaration is made that having regards to Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, 2026 which requires political parties to submit the personal particulars of their candidates not later than 120 days to an election, the Defendant cannot lawfully abridge or limit that statutory period by prescribing a shorter time frame in its 2027 elections.”

While nullifying the May 10 date used by INEC, which placed the political parties and their contestants under pressure, the court declared that they had until September to submit an updated list of all party members.

Investigations showed that the development had left lawmakers who would have ordinarily defected “swiftly”, trapped and “helpless” as the uncertainty over their political future deepened.

Going by the timeline set by INEC, all matters relating to primary elections will close on May 30, barely six days away, leaving lawmakers who had lost the election or were disqualified trapped in their respective political parties.

Some of the top losers in the primaries conducted by the APC include the senator representing Delta North, Senator Ned Nwoko, House Majority Leader, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, and Kogi East Senator Isah Jibrin Echocho.

Others include the two senators from Kwara State, Saliu Mustapha and Lola Ashiru; Danjuma Goje (Gombe); Titus Zam and Udende Emmanuel (Benue); Gbenga Daniel (Ogun); Ipalibo Harry-Banigo (Rivers); Neda Imaseun (Edo); Umar Shehu Buba (Bauchi) – and Benson Agadaga (Bayelsa).

It was also gathered that all hopes were not lost for the governorship hopefuls of the APC, especially the immediate past ministers, including the former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, as sources said that they are now free to explore other parties.

Already, supporters of Tuggar have voiced readiness to leave the APC, claiming that they cannot remain in a party that failed to observe the rule of law.

Aside from Tuggar, a major fallout of the APC primaries is the defections it has already occasioned in Bauchi State, where several state and federal lawmakers were denied tickets. The Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) was the first beneficiary of the fallout, as serving senators, including Shehu Buba Umar (Bauchi South) and Samaila Kaila Dahuwa (Bauchi North), alongside many members of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, have already resigned from the APC and defected to the PRP. The defectors also claimed that they left the party with thousands of their grassroots supporters.

In Jigawa State, another round of defection has also hit the APC, with politicians choosing to defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC). For instance, two-term Senator Sabo Muhammad Nakudu (Jigawa South-West) has dumped the APC for the ADC as a result of his grievances resulting from the primaries. Several other aggrieved members are said to be considering defection from the APC to either the National Democratic Congress (NDC) or the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).