More than 50 current members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives may not return to the National Assembly after the 2027 elections following massive losses recorded during the All Progressives Congress primaries held across the country.
Reports showed that at least 48 serving APC lawmakers lost their re election bids during the weekend primaries, while two lawmakers from Bayelsa State stepped aside to pursue higher political offices. Political observers expect the number of outgoing lawmakers to increase as other political parties including the PDP, Labour Party, ADC, and APGA are yet to conduct their own primaries.
Among the notable lawmakers who failed to secure return tickets are House Majority Leader Professor Julius Ihonvbere from Edo State, Yusuf Gagdi from Plateau State, and long serving Delta lawmaker Nicholas Mutu, who has served in the House since 1999.
The primaries also produced major political upsets in several states including Cross River, Ogun, Ekiti, Rivers, Delta, and Ondo where many incumbents were defeated by new entrants and younger challengers.
In Cross River State, five out of eight serving lawmakers lost their tickets, while Ogun State recorded the defeat of five out of nine sitting representatives. In Ekiti State, three incumbents also lost during fiercely contested primaries.
However, some top lawmakers secured their return tickets including Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.
The primaries were not without controversy as several aspirants rejected the outcomes, alleging widespread irregularities, vote manipulation, violence, and imposition of candidates. In Ondo and Lagos states, aggrieved aspirants called for the cancellation of the exercises, describing the process as fraudulent and unfair.
Political analysts believe the outcome reflects growing internal party tensions, shifting political alliances, and increasing pressure from party structures ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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