May 21, 2026
As the All Progressives Congress concluded its House of Representatives and senatorial primaries across states ahead of the 2027 general election, indications have emerged that about 70 members of the current 10th National Assembly will not return.
Among the notable names is Donatus Mathew, the former commercial motorcycle rider popularly known as the “okada rider”, whose dramatic rise from the streets of Kaduna to the green chamber once captured national attention.
The APC currently controls 242 seats in the House of Representatives and 88 seats in the Senate, with many lawmakers seeking re-election tickets ahead of the next electoral cycle. However, Mathew, who was elected in 2023 on the platform of the Labour Party to represent Kaura Federal Constituency of Kaduna State before defecting to the APC, has now emerged among lawmakers not returning after losing the party primaries.
Mathew first rose to national prominence during the 2023 general elections when he defeated a four-term incumbent in Kaura Federal Constituency, polling 10,508 votes against his closest rival’s 10,297 votes in one of the biggest upsets recorded during the election.
