Uzodimma, Abiodun, Okowa, Ndume, Bello, others secure senatorial tickets

•Ned Nwoko, lost out •Ondo senator, Adegbonmire, escapes death as gunmen invade voting centre
Seven axed in Zamafara, six in Oyo as APC releases list of 44 disqualified aspirants

Governors Dapo Abiodun, Ogun, Hope Uzodimma, Imo, former governors Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta, Yahaya Bello, Kogi were among winners of the senatorial tickets at the primaries of the All progressives Congress (APC) held across the country.

This is just as the exercise was marred with violence and disruptions in some of the states, particularly in Ondo, wher the senator representing the central senatorial district, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, escaped death after armed political thugs invaded the voting centre, and shot at the senator, disrupting the exercise.

The thugs stormed the venue of the primary election at Okilisa Ward 5 in Akure, shot at the vehicle of the senator severally and dispersed voters when it became obvious that Adegbonmire was leading in the contest.

However, in Ogun State, Abiodun was declared winner of the Ogun East senatorial ticket after his contestant and a former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel withdrew from the race.

Also, the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and the imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, won the ticket of Imo west, while a former Delta State governor, Okowa, clinched the ticket of Delta North senatorial district.

Meanwhile, the party on Monday released a comprehensive list of 44 aspirants disqualified from participating in its primary for Senate seats.

A statement signed by Barrister Felix Morka did not give reasons for the disqualification of the aspirants.

In the list, Zamfara State leads with seven aspirants declared ineligible followed by Oyo State.

The six senatorial aspirants not cleared from Oyo State include Ademola Wasiu Alli, Ajimobi Wasiu Adegboyega and Kolapoboye Kola-Daisi, from Oyo Central, Oyo North and South, respectively.

The three others precluded from the Senatorial race were Ambassador Akinremi Alade Bolaji, Honourable Hameed Afeez Repete and Faozey Oladitan Nurudeen, Oyo South and Central.

Further checks revealed that of the five declared ineligible in Rivers State, four are from Rivers West senatorial district and one from Rivers South-East.

Violence, rejection in Ondo

However, the attack in Ondo created panic among delegates, party officials, supporters and journalists, scampered for safety while some of the delegates, especially women, were injured during the melee security operatives swiftly evacuated Adegbonmire from the venue as the situation degenerated, leading to a temporary disruption of the exercise.

Pupils of the Ebenezer Primary School, the venue of the exercise also scampered for safety while their parents rushed to the school to pick their wards to ensure their safety following the sporadic shooting in the school premises.

While speaking on the development, Adegbonmire, described the ongoing APC senatorial primary election in state as a “complete charade”, alleging widespread intimidation, violence and disruption targeted at his supporters across the Central Senatorial District.

He said that the armed thugs invaded the venue when it became obvious he was leading in the exercise and started shooting to scare away the voters and delegates.

According to him, the voting process had commenced peacefully with party members lining up behind their preferred aspirants before the disruption occurred.

“I went to my ward, Okilisa Ward 5 in Akure South, today for the APC Senate primary. They asked everybody to line up and they started counting.

“My supporters were about 400 and there were three lines — mine in the middle, Taiwo Fasoranti’s on the right and Adu’s on the left. They started counting my line first because it was the longest.

“But while they were counting the other line and it became glaring that we were leading, thugs invaded the place, started shooting in the air and even shot at my car. I can show you the bullet marks. They were beating people and attempting to machete supporters. The whole process was disrupted,” he said.

Meanwhile, another aspirant in the central senatorial district, Olumuyiwa Adu, alleged widespread intimidation, gun-brandishing and political imposition during the ongoing party primaries in the state.

Adu, who spoke with newsmen during the exercise, declared that what took place could not be described as a democratic election, alleging armed thugs of taking over voting areas and threatening supporters of aspirants perceived not to be aligned with the governor’s preferred candidates.

According to him, the atmosphere surrounding the primaries was characterised by fear, coercion and suppression, insisting that voters were denied the freedom to choose their preferred candidates.

Exercise peaceful in Ogun

The senatorial primaries held across the three senatorial districts of Ogun State on Monday were conducted peacefully, orderly and without any reported incident, contrary to earlier insinuations by one of the aspirants over alleged planned violence.

As early as 8:00 a.m., party members trooped out in large numbers to the designated collation centres across the 236 wards in the state to cast their votes for candidates of their choice in an atmosphere described by observers as calm and well-coordinated.

In Ogun East Senatorial District, Governor Dapo Abiodun emerged victorious as the sole contestant after his rival, Senator Gbenga Daniel, stepped down from the race few hours before the exercise, citing perceived hostility — a claim many party members and voters dismissed as unfounded.

At several wards visited across the district, party faithful were seen openly queuing behind Governor Abiodun in affirmation of his candidacy, while electoral officials conducted the exercise peacefully.

A similar atmosphere played out in Ogun Central Senatorial District, where Senator Shuaib Salisu emerged as the consensus candidate. APC members were seen queuing in front of his posters across various voting centres monitored during the exercise.

In Ogun West, the same orderly process was witnessed as Hon. Jimoh Olusola Odugbele coasted to victory amid massive support from party members.

The election also went peacefully in Remo North Local Government Area, with party leaders and members applauding the orderly conduct of the exercise across the council area.

Ekiti: Bamidele emerges APC candidate for Ekiti Central unopposed

Ahead of the 2027 general election, Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has emerged the senatorial candidate of APC for Ekiti Central unopposed.

Bamidele’s emergence was revealed in a list of duly screened senatorial aspirants in Ekiti State released by the APC National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Sulaiman Arugungu.

Other senatorial aspirants cleared in the state, according to Arugungu, include Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, former Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Biodun Olujimi and Hon. Bamidele Faparusi for Ekiti South.

READ ALSO: APC, INEC set for collision over Yobe, Akwa-Ibom senatorial tickets

The party also cleared Chairman, Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, Senator Cyril Fasuyi; Senator Ayo Arise, Mr. Oladipupo Bamisaye and Chief Oluwadare Owolabi for Ekiti North.

With this nomination, Bamidele will again flag the party flag for Ekiti Central for the third time with the overwhelming endorsement by his constituents.

Kogi

Alhaji Yahaya Bello has emerged victorious in the senatorial primary election held across Kogi Central Senatorial District.

According to the official results announced at the conclusion of the exercise, the former governor polled a total of 72,399 votes to secure a landslide victory in the keenly contested primary election.

His closest challenger, Ibrahim Yakubu Adoke, garnered 319 votes, while Momoh Yusuf Obaro secured 188 votes.

The primary election, which was widely described as peaceful, transparent, and well-coordinated, witnessed jubilant celebrations across the senatorial district immediately after the announcement of the results.

Supporters and political associates of Yahaya Bello hailed the victory as a clear reflection of his enduring grassroots popularity, political strength, and the confidence reposed in him by members of the APC in Kogi Central.

With the victory, the former governor now emerges as the APC candidate for the forthcoming senatorial election, further strengthening the party’s position in Kogi Central ahead of the polls.

Kano

Deputy Senate President wins

The Deputy President of the Senate, Barau I. Jibrin, has emerged as the candidate of the APC for the Kano North Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The affirmation exercise was held on Monday at the APC headquarters in Bichi Local Government Area of Kano State, with thousands of party members from the 13 local government areas in the senatorial district in attendance.

Officials from the APC national headquarters and representatives of the Independent National Electoral Commission were also present at the event.

At about 2:20 p.m., the Chairman of the APC Electoral Committee for the Kano North Senatorial Primary Election, Hon. Shehu Isa Direba, asked party members to affirm Senator Barau as the party’s candidate, prompting a loud chorus of approval from supporters at the venue.

Similarly, the Chairman of the APC National Assembly Primary Elections Committee for Kano State, Hon. Musa Yahaya, also sought the endorsement of party members, who unanimously affirmed Barau as the party’s flag bearer for the National Assembly election scheduled for January 16.

In his remarks, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, represented by Deputy Governor Murtala Sule Garo, commended the peaceful conduct of the exercise and expressed confidence in the APC’s chances in the 2027 elections.

Borno

Ndume returns, emerges consensus candidate

Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, has won the APC senatorial ticket for Borno South Senatorial District.

Ndume was returned unopposed through an affirmation process at the venue of the primary held in Maiduguri, Borno state capital.

The lawmaker had emerged as consensus candidate as his main rival for the seat, Abdullahi Askira last month withdrew voluntarily from the race.

The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly premised his decision not to contest for the ticket with Senator Ndume on extensive consultations and appeals from party stakeholders within the district.

If he wins the general elections, the former Senate Leader would be in the National Assembly for the fifth term.

The former Senate Leader in a statement shortly after he was pronounced winner and candidate at the venue of the primary, thanked the APC stakeholders in Borno South, delegates and all the party faithful for the confidence reposed in him to continue to represent their interest at the National Assembly.

He equally applauded his erstwhile rival, Honourable Askira who threw in the towel, in deference to the party elders in the senatorial zone.

Edo

Ogbeide-Ihama, Ize-Iyamu lay claim to Edo south ticket

The crisis rocking the APC in Edo State deepened on Monday as a faction loyal to the former governorship candidate of the party, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, declared him winner of the Edo South Senatorial District primary election for the 2027 National Assembly polls.

The fresh declaration came barely hours after the Mohammed Ajana-led APC National Assembly Primary Elections Committee had announced former House of Representatives member, Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, to have scored the highest vote cast in the same primary election.

The conflicting outcomes have since thrown the ruling party in Edo State into confusion, further exposing widening cracks within the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Recall that the Ajana-led committee had earlier announced Ogbeide-Ihama to have score 27,154 votes to defeat the incumbent senator representing Edo South Senatorial District, Senator Neda Imasuen, who scored 13,580 votes, while Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu came third with 6,785 votes.

However, in a dramatic twist, another faction of the party on Monday after declared Pastor Ize-Iyamu winner of the primary election conducted across the 77 wards in the seven local government areas of Edo South Senatorial District.

Announcing the fresh results, the Chief Returning Officer, Abubakar Muhammad Kabiru, declared that Pastor Ize-Iyamu secured a total of 33,399 votes to emerge victorious in the exercise.

According to Kabiru, Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama scored 12,560 votes, while the incumbent senator, Neda Imasuen, polled 5,107 votes.

The development has further heightened tension within the APC, with party members and political observers expressing concern over the emergence of parallel results from the same senatorial primary election.

The parallel declarations have since fuelled speculations of deepening factional interests within the APC structure in Edo State, especially among loyalists of the major contenders in the race.

Rivers

Former deputy governor rejects disqualification, appeals for Justice

The Senator representing Rivers West Senatorial District, Ipalibo Banigo-Harry, has rejected her disqualification by the screening committee of the All Progressives Congress.

Banigo-Harry, a former deputy governor to Nyesom Wike, is among the serving members of the 10th National Assembly from Rivers State reportedly disqualified from contesting the 2027 general elections under the platform of the APC.

The Rivers West senator, while addressing her supporters during the APC senatorial primary election on Monday, said she met all the requirements stipulated by the leadership of the party and expressed surprise over the outcome of the screening exercise.

She, however, expressed optimism that the leadership of the APC would take the necessary steps to correct what she described as a mistake, urging her supporters to remain calm and peaceful.

Banigo-Harry also commended her supporters for standing in solidarity with her and described President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a gender-sensitive leader whom she believes will intervene and ensure justice is done.

Niger

APC Picks Sani Musa, Abubakar Sani Bello as consensus candidates

The incumbent senator representing Niger East, Sani Musa, popularly known as Sani 313, and former Niger State governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, emerged as consensus candidates for their respective senatorial districts and are awaiting formal affirmation by the party.

The spokesperson of the party in the state, Musa Sarkin-Kaji, explained that in Niger North, other aspirants stepped down for Abubakar Sani Bello, paving the way for his emergence as the APC candidate.

He added that in Niger East, the only aspirant contesting against Senator Sani Musa also agreed to withdraw from the race in support of the incumbent lawmaker.

Speaking on the Niger South Senatorial District, the APC spokesman revealed that six aspirants are contesting for the party’s ticket, noting that attempts to reach a consensus among them failed.

“Consensus was reached in Niger East and it was agreed that the incumbent senator, Sani Musa, emerged as the party’s flag bearer. In Niger North, former governor Abubakar Sani Bello also emerged as the party’s candidate through consensus,” Sarkin-Kaji stated.

Delta

Dafinone, Okowa Win In Central, North

Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Ede Dafinone, has emerged victorious in the senatorial primary election for Delta Central, defeating former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege by a landslide margin.

Also, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa won in Delta North, beating incumbent Senator Ned Nwoko. Okowa polled 113,309 votes to defeat Ned Nwoko, who scored 2,612 votes, while Mariam Ali secured 40 votes.

The primaries were conducted using the direct primary system under Option A4, with voting held across all the wards in the eight local government areas that make up the senatorial district. The exercise witnessed massive participation by party members and was widely described as credible, peaceful and transparent.

Announcing the results, Secretary of the APC National Assembly Primary Committee, Barr. Nusa Amagbor, said Senator Dafinone polled an overwhelming 116,252 votes to defeat Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who secured 3,643 votes.

He said, “Party stakeholders in Delta Central, our proceedings here today have been peaceful, and we sincerely thank you all for your cooperation and orderly conduct throughout this exercise.

“As you are aware, the election was conducted through the direct primary method, which has consistently been adopted for all our elections in Delta State, including those for the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Oyo

Akintunde, Oseni emerging in Oyo Central, South, awaits Oyo North

The APC has affirmed Senator Akintunde Yunus and Hon. Remi Oseni as its candidates for the Oyo Central and South Senatorial Districts, respectively.

The party is yet to make known the outcome of the primaries for the election of candidate that will fly the flag of the party in Oyo North Senatorial District.

Two of the candidates jostling for the tickets are Professor Adeolu Akande and Mrs Hannah Ogunesan.

Our correspondent gathered from the party source that the screening committee of the party only cleared Oseni and Akintunde as sole candidate of the party in their respective districts.

‘The Screening Committee only cleared Oseni and Yunus as the party’s candidates in 2027 general elections.

‘What happened at their respective Districts on Monday is affirmation of candidates.

‘On Oyo  North senatorial district, the result is yet to be made known.

Meanwhile, there was a massive turnout of members as the All Progressives Congress (APC), Oyo State on Monday conducted its senatorial districts primaries for the selection of candidates ahead the 2027 general elections.

Speaking earlier at the APC state secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, Chairman of the APC National Assembly Primaries Elections Committee for Oyo State, Prof. Mojeed Alabi, described the exercise as rancour-free and transparent.

Alabi, a former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, explained that the committee was mandated to supervise the conduct of the primaries across all wards in the 14 federal constituencies representing Oyo State in the House of Representatives.

Kaduna Senator Katung, Shehu Sani, and Yero win APC senatorial primaries

Senator Sunday Marshall Katung has emerged winner of the Kaduna-South Senatorial District primary election, defeating former Senator Danjuma Tella Laah and Michael Auta in a keenly contested exercise held across the eight local government areas of the district.

The Returning Officer for the election, Prof. John Laah of the Federal University of Applied Sciences, Kachia, announced the results at the collation centre at the Jema’a Local Government Secretariat on Monday, declaring the exercise free, fair, and peaceful.

According to him, the election was conducted across Kagarko, Sanga, Kauru, Zangon Kataf, Kaura, Jema’a, Jaba and Kachia local government areas, with delegates casting their votes for the three aspirants.

Sunday Marshall Katung polled a total of 7,453 votes, Danjuma Tella Laah, who scored a total of 1,370 votes, while Michael Ayuba Auta came third with a total of 878 votes:

Prof. Laah, while announcing the final figures, commended party stakeholders, security agencies, and delegates for ensuring a peaceful and orderly process across the senatorial district.