Several serving Senators, who defected from opposition parties to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections, failed to secure APC tickets, either losing at the polls or getting knocked out during pre-primary screening.

The APC held most of its Senatorial primaries on Monday, May 18, 2026, across the 109 districts to select candidates for the January 16, 2027, National Assembly election.

However, the outcomes of the exercise in many states of the federation produced a mix of upsets: consensus victories, and mass disqualifications, with some of the defectors, who preemptively ran to the ruling party to take refuge so as to be protected in the 2027 general elections, thoroughly got disappointed.

It’s interesting to note that at the inauguration of the 10th Senate on June 13, 2023, APC had 59 out of the 109 Senators, while all the opposition parties had an aggregate of 50 Senators.

Party breakdown at the inauguration indicated that the All Progressives Congress had 59 seats, thereby holding a majority position but short of the 73 seats needed for a two-thirds supermajority.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had 36 seats as the main opposition and minority Caucus; Labour Party (LP), 8 seats, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), 2 seats, Social Democratic Party (SDP), 2 seats, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), 1 seat and Young Progressives Party (YPP), 1 seat.

However, as time progressed, most of the Senators in the opposition parties felt threatened by the ruling party, resulting in almost all of them defecting to the APC, to be able to secure return tickets to the 11th Assembly in 2027.

Disappointedly, some of those who left the parties that brought them to the Senate to join the ruling party could not get return tickets during the Monday primaries of the APC, held across the states of the federation.

Leading the list of those who defected to the APC but still got defeated was Senator Ned Nwoko of Delta North. Nwoko, who crossed over from the PDP, lost to former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa by a wide margin.

Also, the Senator representing Osun Central Senatorial District in the Senate, Olubiyi Fadeyi, lost the primary election to Barrister Kunle Adegoke (SAN). Adegoke secured the party’s ticket by polling 26,655 votes against Fadeyi’s 13,138 votes.

In Edo South, Senator Neda Imasuen, who was elected on the platform of the Labour Party, earlier defected to the APC. He was beaten by former House of Representatives member Omorgie Ogbeida-Ihama.

Disqualified at screening:

The APC screening committee barred at least 44 Senatorial aspirants from contesting, including three serving Senators who had defected from the PDP to the ruling party.

One of such is the Senator representing Rivers West Senatorial District, Dr Ipalibo Banigo-Harry, who is the immediate past Deputy Governor of the State, having served under former Governor Nyesom Wike.

Banigo was disqualified alongside other Rivers aspirants, Tein Jack-Rich, Tamunobaabo Danagogo, and Ojukaye Flag-Amachree.

While addressing journalists in Rivers on her disqualification, Banigo said that she was unaware of any political motive behind the party’s decision.

Similarly, Senator Benson Agadaga of Bayelsa East came to the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the PDP, but defected from the PDP earlier this year.

He was also listed as “not cleared” in the updated screening list released by the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka.

Senator Garba Maidoki of Kebbi South is another lawmaker who rode to the Senate, using the PDP as a ladder before joining the bandwagon to the ruling party. He was also disqualified.

Senator Ezenwa Onyewuchi of Imo East was not listed among the winners or disqualified aspirants in the reports available as of the time of filing this report.

However, the Imo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, on Monday, declared Prince Alex Mbata winner of the party’s Senatorial primary election for Imo East Senatorial District, where Onyewuchi is currently representing.

Some of those disqualified, including Banigo, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the APC national leadership to intervene, while others who lost at the polls have expressed dissatisfaction, including Neda Imaseun.