The All Progressives Congress (APC) has overturned the outcome of parts of its National Assembly primary elections in Benue State, replacing several candidates who initially secured the party's tickets with new nominees. Among those affected is former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, whose victory in the Benue North East Senatorial primary was nullified. The party has instead named Senator Emmanuel Udende as its candidate.
The changes followed the recommendations of the APC Primary Election Appeal Committee and were reflected in the party's final list of candidates submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The review affected candidates for two senatorial districts and five House of Representatives constituencies across the state.
The latest development is widely viewed as a reversal of some of the gains recorded by Governor Hyacinth Alia's political camp during the primaries while restoring several aspirants considered loyal to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume.
In the Benue North West Senatorial District, the APC reinstated Titus Zam as its candidate, replacing Benjamin Aber, the husband of the Benue State Secretary to the Government, Deborah Aber.
The party also announced fresh candidates for five House of Representatives seats. Dickson Tarkighir replaced Christopher Ikper in Makurdi/Guma, Austin Achado took over from Terhemba Nongo in Gwer East/Gwer West, Terser Ugbor replaced Kohol Iormem in Kwande/Ushongo, Sekav Iyortyom displaced Gideon Inyom in Buruku, while Sesoo Ikpagher replaced Livinus Tsar in Vandeikya/Konshisha.
The substitutions were formally communicated to INEC in a letter jointly signed by APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and National Secretary Ajibola Basiru. According to the party, the decision was based on the findings and recommendations of its Primary Election Appeal Committee.
The revised list comes about six weeks after the APC conducted its primaries, which were widely interpreted as a political triumph for Governor Alia amid his prolonged rivalry with Akume.
During the House of Representatives primaries held on May 17, 2026, six serving lawmakers believed to be aligned with Akume lost their re-election bids. They included Austin Achado, Dickson Tarkighir, Terser Ugbor, Sekav Iyortyom and Sesoo Ikpagher. All five have now been reinstated as the party's candidates.
Two days later, on May 19, 2026, Gabriel Suswam defeated incumbent Senator Emmanuel Udende in the Benue North East Senatorial primary, while Benjamin Aber emerged victorious over Titus Zam in the Benue North West contest. At the time, the victories were seen as a demonstration of Governor Alia's growing influence within the APC in Benue State.
The primaries also rejected calls for automatic return tickets for serving lawmakers, a proposal publicly canvassed by Akume during the party's reconciliation meeting in Makurdi ahead of the exercise.
"We want everybody to have a place. We want inclusiveness in this party," Akume had said.
Governor Alia, however, opposed the proposal, insisting that neither President Bola Tinubu nor the APC leadership approved the idea of automatic tickets.
"What the SGF said was a prayer and not a resolution," the governor said at the time.
With the revised candidate list now in effect, the balance of influence within the Benue APC has shifted.
Governor Alia's camp retained seven key National Assembly tickets, including Francis Agbo (Benue South Senate), Ojotu Ojema (Apa/Agatu), Anthony Agom (Ado/Okpokwu/Ogbadibo), Blessing Onuh (Otukpo/Ohimini), Peter Ogbodo (Oju/Obi), Regina Akume (Gboko/Tarka) and Solomon Wombo (Katsina-Ala/Ukum/Logo).
The Akume camp now also controls seven National Assembly tickets following the substitutions, including the senatorial nominations of Emmanuel Udende and Titus Zam, as well as the House of Representatives tickets secured by Austin Achado, Dickson Tarkighir, Sekav Iyortyom, Terser Ugbor and Sesoo Ikpagher.
