Multiple Nigerian outlets report fallout from All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections in which several serving members of the House of Representatives lose their “return tickets,” meaning they are not selected as APC candidates for the 2023–2027 legislative cycle. One report from The Punch says incumbents who held seats before the primaries are among those defeated in states including Ogun and Ondo. In Ogun, The Punch reports that four serving APC House members lose return tickets, while another report from the same outlet says six Ondo representatives lose their bids to return to the National Assembly.
Another Punch report describes broader controversy around the primaries, stating that at least 26 serving lawmakers lose return tickets as internal party disputes intensify. Vanguard reports a wider figure, saying no fewer than 70 of the APC’s 330 serving National Assembly lawmakers are not expected to return in 2027, while noting that final results for the House and Senate primaries are still awaited.
Across the reports, the common thread is that party primaries determine which incumbents regain the right to contest under the APC label, and many fail to do so in multiple states.
