The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, on Wednesday mocked the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, saying he was surprised the party still exists and should be allowed to die.

Akpabio made the remarks on Wednesday while speaking at the commissioning of a road project in the Gaduwa District of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.

Akpabio, who was reacting to the emergence of a PDP candidate in a recent election, said, “I didn’t know there was still PDP, I am sure he is somewhere and so many other distinguished senators, members of the working committee of the people of the APC, Wike stop confusing us, if a party has died allow it to die,” 

“So members of the working committee, I won’t discuss anything on the working committee of the PDP like I said anything that has died has died,” he stated.

Akpabio praised the Minster of the Federal Capital territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike on his performance in Abuja.

He said, “In the meantime my dear brother, the minster of the FCT, the performing minster of the FCT, who made his predecessors to look like there came to drink tea in Abuja all these things they are doing I can tell you, people are baffled, you and the president are performing miracles here, ”he said.

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: The ruling All Progressives Congress APC has retained Senate President Godswill Akpabio and several other ranking lawmakers among those whose nomination documents have been processed via the candidates’ nomination portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.

Sources familiar with the exercise disclosed that Akpabio, Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, Senate Chief Whip Mohammed Monguno and former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole have all received the mandatory Candidate Affidavit Form, while their names have being uploaded to INEC’s nomination portal.

The ruling party has also cleared four serving governors to contest senatorial seats in the 2027 general election. They include Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri and Gombe State Governor Inuwa Yahaya.

In Kaduna State, former Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, Senator Shehu Sani and Senator Sunday Marshall Katung also secured clearance to fly their respective party’s flags in the race for Senate seats.

Former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello equally emerged as the APC’s candidate for Kogi Central Senatorial District.

The approved nominees form part of the APC’s 109 senatorial candidates whose particulars are being transmitted to the electoral commission.

Party sources said the ongoing submission followed the ratification of the results of the April primary elections and a review of nominations in line with recommendations of the Primary Election Appeal Committee as well as INEC’s guidelines.

For the House of Representatives, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, James Abiodun Faleke and Mudashiru Obasa are among prominent APC candidates whose nominations are also being processed.

INEC had opened its online nomination portal for political parties to submit the names and credentials of their presidential and National Assembly candidates from June 27, with the window scheduled to close on July 11.

The commission requires political parties to upload Form EC-9C, containing candidates’ personal particulars, alongside Forms EC9A to EC9E, which contain the lists of nominated candidates and other statutory documentation.

Meanwhile, the APC has made sweeping changes to its list of National Assembly candidates, replacing former Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam, former House of Representatives member Gbenga Elegbeleye and several others following the outcome of appeals arising from the party’s primary elections.

The changes were conveyed to INEC in a letter jointly signed by APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and National Secretary Ajibola Basiru.

According to the correspondence, the substitutions were approved by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) after considering the recommendations of the Primary Election Appeal Committee.

Beyond the Senate, the APC also replaced 19 House of Representatives candidates across several states, including Benue, Kogi, Ondo, Taraba, Niger, Kwara, Kaduna, Abia and Ebonyi.

The party stated that the revised list represents its final decision on all constituencies affected by petitions and appeals filed after the primary elections.

Among the major senatorial changes, Emmanuel Memga Udende replaced Gabriel Suswam as the APC candidate for Benue North East, while Olajide Ipinsagba displaced Gbenga Elegbeleye in Ondo North.

Other substitutions include Sunday Karimi replacing Aro Samuel Bamidele in Kogi West; Prince Paul Ikonne taking over from Edinburgh Uchenna Erondu in Abia South; Titus Tartenger Zam replacing Benjamin T. Aber in Benue North West; Shuibu Isa Lau succeeding Mohammed Kabir Bello in Taraba North; and Adeniyi Adegbonmire replacing Taiwo Fasoranti in Ondo Central.

Benue recorded the highest number of changes in the House of Representatives category, with five constituencies receiving new candidates. Additional substitutions were made in Taraba, Niger, Kwara, Ondo, Kaduna, Abia and Ebonyi States.

The APC maintained that the replacements complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) and INEC’s regulations governing the nomination of candidates.This version is fully rewritten, adopts a professional newspaper style, removes repetition, and organizes the story into clear sections while preserving all the essential facts.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced that it has received 80 per cent of the non-sensitive materials required for the Osun State governorship election scheduled for 15 August.

The Osun State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Oluwatoyin Babalola, disclosed this during a news conference held at the commission’s headquarters in Osogbo.

Babalola said the Commission was making steady preparations for the election and assured stakeholders that arrangements were progressing according to schedule.

She explained that INEC was working closely with relevant security agencies to guarantee the safe storage and protection of the election materials before deployment.

“We are collaborating with relevant security agencies to ensure the safe storage of the materials,” Mrs Babalola said.

Addressing concerns over voter apathy, the Resident Electoral Commissioner urged stakeholders to intensify public enlightenment on the importance of participating in the electoral process.

She said political parties, civil society organisations, religious leaders, community leaders, journalists and other stakeholders all had important roles to play in encouraging eligible voters to exercise their franchise.

Mrs Babalola also appealed to media organisations to support the electoral process by providing fair, balanced and credible reports throughout the election period.

“The media should not overheat the polity. We urge journalists to cooperate with the commission through balanced and credible reportage,” she said.