No fewer than seven serving governors and eleven former governors have secured the All Progressives Congress (APC) tickets as the ruling party released its full list of senatorial candidates after its primaries nationwide.
New Telegraph observed that from across the nation’s political landscape, political heavyweights in the ruling party dominate the roll call, indicating that the APC is going into the 2027 elections with its most formidable politicians to wrestle power with opposition challengers.
In Akwa Ibom State, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, will fight to return for Akwa Ibom North-West, while former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, clinched the Edo North senatorial ticket, just as Ex-VP candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, took Delta North.
7 GOVERNORS IN THE RACE
Sitting governors who have secured tickets to contest Senate seats include:
Dapo Abiodun (Ogun East)
Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa North)
Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara Central),
Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe North)
Mai Mala Buni (Yobe East)
Hope Uzodimma (Imo West)
Umaru Fintiri (Adamawa North).
11 EX-GOVERNORS STORM BACK
The former governors on the APC ticket are:
Gabriel Suswam (Benue North-East),
Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano Central)
Yahaya Bello (Kogi Central)
Simon Lalong (Plateau South)
Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North)
Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto Central)
Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara West)
Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North)
Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central)
Sani Bello (Niger North)
Ramalan Yero (Kaduna North).
Senate heavyweights Ali Ndume (Borno South), Opeyemi Bamidele (Ekiti Central), Jibrin Barau (Kano North) and Ahmad Lawan (Yobe North), who served as President of the 9th Senate, also secured return tickets during the National Assembly primary elections.
WOMEN ON THE ROLL
The list also features, for now, two female contenders too, including Kene Chiedu Ngozi Benedicta, who flies the APC flag in Anambra Central, and Idiat Adebule, who runs for Lagos West.
STATE BY STATE FIREPOWER
The lineup covers 36 states and the FCT. Lagos fields Wasiu Eshinlokun (Central), Idiat Adebule (West) and Tokunbo Abiru (East). In Kano, it’s Barau (North), Shekarau (Central) and Abdulrahman Kawu (South).
Rivers will see Felix Obuah (West), Allwell Onyesoh (East) and Barry Mwara (South-East) on the ballot. Kaduna’s ticket went to Ramalan Yero (North), Shehu Sani (Central) and Sunday Katung (South).
THE FULL APC SENATE LIST
ABIA: Orji Uzor Kalu – Abia North; Erondu Uchenna Erondu Jr – Abia South; Emeka Atuma – Abia Central.
ADAMAWA: Umaru Fintiri – Adamawa North; Felix Tangwami – Adamawa South.
AKWA IBOM: Godswill Akpabio – Akwa Ibom North-West; Aniekan Bassey – Akwa Ibom North-East; Ekong Sampson – Akwa Ibom South.
ANAMBRA: Nelson Onubuogu – Anambra North; Kene Chiedu Ngozi Benedicta – Anambra Central; Chibuogu Oraelusi – Anambra South.
BAUCHI: Yakubu Abdullahi – Bauchi South; Ibrahim Baba – Bauchi North.
BAYELSA: Fidelis Agbiki – Bayelsa West; Friday Kombowei Benson – Bayelsa Central; Israel Sunny-Goli – Bayelsa East.
BENUE: Dave Padopads-Awunah – Benue North-West; Gabriel Suswam – Benue North-East; Francis Agbo – Benue South.
BORNO: Kaka Shehu – Borno Central; Ali Ndume – Borno South; Tahir Monguno – Borno North.
CROSS RIVER: Jarigbe Jarigbe – Cross River North; Oden Ewa – Cross River Central; Asuquo Ekpenyong – Cross River South.
DELTA: Ede Dafinone – Delta Central; Ifeanyi Okowa – Delta North; Joel-Onowakpo Thomas – Delta South.
EBONYI: Peter Onyekachi Nwebonyi- Ebonyi North; Kenneth Eze, Ebonyi Central, Anthony Okorie-Ani- Ebonyi South.
EDO: Adams Oshiomhole – Edo North; Joseph Ikpea – Edo Central; Ogbeide-Ihama Omoregie – Edo South.
EKITI: Opeyemi Bamidele – Ekiti Central; Cyril Fasuyi – Ekiti North; Yemi Adaramodu – Ekiti South.
ENUGU: Osita Ngwu – Enugu West; Kelvin Chukwu – Enugu East; Ikeje Asogwa – Enugu North.
GOMBE: Inuwa Yahaya – Gombe North; Mohammed Ahmed – Gombe Central; Jerry Damara – Gombe South.
IMO: Alex Mbata – Imo East; Hope Uzodimma – Imo West; Patrick Ndubueze – Imo North.
JIGAWA: Babangida Hussain – Jigawa North-West; Ahmed Malam Madori – Jigawa North-East; Sani Garba – Jigawa South-West.
KADUNA: Ramalan Yero – Kaduna North; Shehu Sani – Kaduna Central; Sunday Katung – Kaduna South.
KANO: Jibrin Barau – Kano North; Ibrahim Shekarau – Kano Central; Abdulrahman Kawu – Kano South.
KATSINA: Mutari Dandutse – Katsina South; Nasir Daura – Katsina North; Abdulaziz Yar’Adua – Katsina Central.
KEBBI: Adamu Aliero – Kebbi Central; Yahaya Abdullahi – Kebbi North; Jafar Gajere – Kebbi South.
KOGI: Joseph Erico – Kogi East; Yahaya Bello – Kogi Central; Sunday Karimi – Kogi West.
KWARA: Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq – Kwara Central; Sadiq Umar – Kwara North; Adewoye Olalekan – Kwara South.
LAGOS: Wasiu Eshinlokun – Lagos Central; Idiat Adebule – Lagos West; Tokunbo Abiru – Lagos East.
NASARAWA: Abdullahi Sule – Nasarawa North; Faisal Shuaib – Nasarawa West.
NIGER: Idris Kutigi – Niger South; Sani Musa – Niger East; Sani Bello – Niger North.
OGUN: Dapo Abiodun – Ogun East; Jimoh Ojugbele – Ogun West; Shuaib Salisu – Ogun Central.
ONDO: Gbenga Elegbeleye – Ondo North; Taiwo Fasoranti – Ondo Central; Isaacs Kekemeke – Ondo South.
OSUN: Francis Fadahunsi – Osun East; Adekunle Adeogoke – Osun Central; Akintunde Oyebiyi – Osun.
OYO: Remi Oseni – Oyo South; Yunusi Akintunde – Oyo Central.
PLATEAU: David Barji – Plateau Central; Simon Lalong – Plateau South; Simon Mwadkwon – Plateau North.
RIVERS: Felix Obuah – Rivers West; Allwell Onyesoh – Rivers East; Barry Mwara – Rivers South-East.
SOKOTO: Aliyu Wamakko – Sokoto Central; Umaru Ajiya – Sokoto East; Ibrahim Danbaba – Sokoto South.
TARABA: Manu Haruna – Taraba Central; David Jimkuta – Taraba South.
YOBE: Mai Mala Buni – Yobe East; Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan – Yobe North; Ibrahim Bomai – Yobe South.
ZAMFARA: Abdulaziz Yari – Zamfara West; Ikra Bilbis – Zamfara Central; Sahabi Ya’u – Zamfara North.
FCT: Philip Aduda – Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It’s instructive to note that Senatorial districts not listed are either pending, inconclusive, or yet to conduct APC primaries due to internal disputes, zoning disagreements, logistical challenges and postponements.
