July 6, (THEWILL) — It is not yet uhuru for Benue State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following the May 16, 2027, party primaries that produced Senate and House of Representatives candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In the said primaries, Senator Gabriel Suswam, Benjamin Aber and Francis Ottah Agbo were declared winners to represent Benue North East, West and South senatorial districts, replacing incumbent Emmanuel Udende, Titus Zam, as seven House of Representatives candidates, including Professor Kohol Iornem for Kwande/Ushongo, respectively.
However, the APC National Working Committee (NWC), in Abuja, has allegedly substituted the winners, as supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), with other aspirants who lost out during the primary election process.
One of the winners for Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency, Professor Kohol Iornem, who polled 40,672 votes, in his reaction over the alleged substitution of his name with that of the incumbent, Terseer Ugbor, with 750 votes, described such a move as wishful thinking in a democratic setting.
Professor Iornem, who threatens to challenge the unlawful substitution, noted that his removal violates principles of fair hearing and due process.
“Even if petitions were submitted by aggrieved aspirants to the APC National Working Committee, I was never informed of any petition against my victory at the party primaries”, he decried.
The APC chieftain, therefore, urged his teeming supporters and loyalists to remain calm in the wake of the provocation and impunity, expressing the hope that justice will be served in the course.
Two other groups have equally threatened to seek redress in Court if Senator Gabriel Suswam and Benjamin Aber are declared winners.
THEWILL recalls that APC faithfuls in the Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency, last week, embarked on a peaceful protest to register their displeasure over the substitution of their preferred candidate, Professor Iornem, by the cabal in Abuja.
They called on the leader of the party, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to wade into the matter to ensure the people’s will prevails in the case of Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general election.
Efforts to get a reaction from the Benue State chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Benjamin Omale, failed at the time of filing this report.
