President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
- Conduct primaries wherever consensus fails, Tinubu tells APC leaders
- Protests in Oyo over imposition
- Mimiko dumps opposition, joins APC
- APC aspirants accuse Aiyedatiwa of deploying thugs ahead of primaries
- Say Ondo, Kwara, Zamfara flagged as volatile states
Amid discordant tunes of imposition and to avoid an avalanche of post-primary crises, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) last night has reportedly lowered its push for a “consensus” mode of primary elections ahead of tomorrow’s House of Representatives shadow elections.
The decision, it was gathered, followed widespread internal resistance from aspirants and grassroots members across the 360 federal constituencies, while also ensuring party cohesion is sustained ahead of the Senatorial and Governorship primaries coming ahead.
Last night, the APC shifted the House of Representatives primary election for the 2027 general elections to Saturday, 16th May, 2026, noting that the adjustment affects only the House of Representatives primaries, while dates for other elections remain unchanged.
This came shortly after President Bola Tinubu called on members of the ruling party to uphold unity, fairness and sportsmanship as the party commences its nationwide primary elections. Today’s House of Representatives primaries are a litmus test for the party’s internal democracy, kicking off a series of elections that will culminate in the high-stakes Presidential Primary scheduled for May 23.
In the statement released ahead of the primaries, President Tinubu described the exercise as a defining moment for the party, noting that the APC, founded on the principles of progressive politics, consensus-building and sacrifice, was preparing for its fourth electoral cycle since inception.
Leaving it open-ended in a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu called on APC leaders across the federation to conduct primary elections wherever consensus fails. He charged all participants in the primaries, as contestants or voters, to keep the peace and be ready to play as sportsmen and women in the overall interest of the party and the country.
According to him, the party cannot afford rancorous conduct or the debasement of the nation’s democracy and party unity. “Election is an essential ingredient of democracy. Where consensus fails, I urge us all to go into the primaries as brothers and sisters.
“In every contest, there will be a winner and a loser. I urge the winners not to gloat in victory and the losers to show sportsmanship by taking things in their stride and preparing for another time. The ultimate winners are those who don’t choose to wreck the boat but rather work to prepare for another round. Our opponents are waiting for us to be against each other; we should disappoint them,” he said.
The President acknowledged ongoing consultations among party leaders aimed at producing consensus candidates in line with the Electoral Act and the APC constitution, describing the approach as commendable and capable of reducing internal rancour. He urged members to take advantage of the consensus option where possible to strengthen party unity and ensure a seamless exercise.
Tinubu, however, stressed that where consensus arrangements fail, all aspirants and delegates must conduct themselves peacefully and democratically throughout the primaries. He cautioned against divisive politics and warned that the party could not afford conducts that can undermine internal cohesion or weaken Nigeria’s democratic process.
While the NWC initially advocated for consensus to bolster party cohesion, the party’s Organising Department on Thursday dispatched election materials and result sheets to all states—a move insiders interpret as a green light for direct primaries. A high-ranking source within the party’s administrative organ confirmed that the leadership chose to remain flexible to avoid a full-scale internal crisis.
“Reports from many states reaching the NWC showed that our members and aspirants would rather subject their aspirations to an election than concede to consensus,” the source stated.
“Mindful of this demand, the NWC has directed that everybody should go to the field where aspirants and stakeholders cannot agree.”
The shift in strategy comes as protests rocked several states where stakeholders felt consensus was being used as a smokescreen for “imposition.”
For instance, supporters of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, yesterday stormed the party secretariat in Ibadan, protesting the endorsement of Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the consensus governorship candidate in Oyo State. “Imposing a candidate denies others a fair opportunity. We demand transparency and the adoption of direct primaries,” one protester noted.
Opposition to the consensus option is vocal in the North, where it is being vigorously resisted in some states. Former Minister of Communications, Prof. Isa Pantami, vowed to fight consensus in Gombe State, while heavyweights such as former IGPs Abubakar Mohammed Adamu (Nasarawa) and Usman Alkali Baba (Yobe), alongside Mathias Byuan (Benue), have all voiced their preference for a competitive process, though ex-IGP Baba yesterday withdrew from the Yobe guber race.
In Ondo State, National Assembly aspirants have accused Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of plotting to unleash violence against aspirants and party members who have rejected his purported controversial consensus list for the upcoming primary elections. The aspirants under the aegis of Progressive Aspirants Forum raised the alarm at a press conference in Akure, the state capital, alleging that Aiyedatiwa had convened a meeting with suspected political thugs at the Government House with instructions to attack aspirants excluded from his preferred list.
The group warned that unless the national leadership of the APC and security agencies swiftly intervened, the state could witness a recurrence of the violent political crises that marred the 1965 and 1983 elections in the old Western Region.
Aiyedatiwa had, last week, purportedly forwarded a list of his preferred aspirants to the APC National Secretariat, claiming they emerged through a consensus arrangement for the 2027 general elections. However, the arrangement was allegedly faulted for non-compliance with the Electoral Act of 2026 and the party’s guidelines on consensus candidacy, prompting the party to distance itself from the list.
One of the aspirants, Olujimi Adekanle, stated that the decision by excluded party members to purchase forms and pursue their aspirations in line with the party’s directive has angered Aiyedatiwa. According to Adekanle, the governor had, during the meeting a few days ago, described aspirants outside his list as engaging in anti-party activities and as contesting against him personally.
“The violence witnessed before and during the February State Congress would pale in comparison to what is being planned. This could severely damage the party’s unity, disrupt public peace and national stability, and cast doubt on the peaceful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
“We therefore respectfully call on the APC leadership, director-general of SSS, inspector-general of police, and chief of army staff to take immediate steps to investigate these allegations thoroughly, provide adequate security for all aspirants and party members during the primary elections, and ensure that the primaries are conducted freely, fairly, and peacefully in line with democratic principles, the constitution of the party, and the Electoral Act 2026,” he said.
While fielding questions from journalists, one of the House of Representatives aspirants in the Akure South/Akure North federal constituency, Olu Akinola, disclosed that approximately 80 per cent of National Assembly aspirants in the state have been shut out of the governor’s arrangement.
Akinola noted that security agencies have already tagged Ondo State, along with Kwara and Zamfara states, as volatile states to be watched during the primaries. Security agencies have already tagged Ondo State, along with Kwara and Zamfara States, as volatile states to be watched during the primaries.
In the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo and Odigbo Federal Constituency, stakeholders raised alarms over “imposition politics.” Tensions flared following reports that Mathew Oyerinmade (MATO) was being redirected to the House of Representatives seat after a failed senatorial bid, a move critics labelled a “consolation prize.”
However, the Ondo State government has called APC members across the state to conduct themselves peacefully and responsibly during the party primaries. In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, the governor urged all aspirants, party leaders, and supporters to ensure the exercise remains hitch-free, transparent, and devoid of violence or rancour before, during, and after the polls in line with the directive of President Tinubu.
Meanwhile, a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, has joined the APC at his Ward 7 secretariat in Ondo West Local Government Area, ending months of speculation about his political future.
The defection, which took place at the party’s ward headquarters in Ondo City, saw the former governor received by a full complement of party hierarchy, including the Ward Executive, the Local Government Executive, the State Chairman of the APC, and a large gathering of party faithful from within the Ondo City axis.
Mimiko’s move to the ruling party comes more than a month after he resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he had remained largely inactive while many of his close political associates had already crossed over to the APC ahead of the last governorship election in the state.
The former governor emphasised that he was compelled to clear growing speculations and inquiries about his political status, stressing that he was no longer a member of the opposition party. Addressing party members and leaders shortly after completing his registration, the former governor said, “There are a lot of good things being done by the President Tinubu-led government, and though much more will still have to be done.
Welcoming the former governor into the party, the State Chairman of the APC, Kolawole Babatunde, described Mimiko as a progressive in all ramifications, pointing to his track record in health, education, infrastructure development, and other critical sectors of human development both during and after his tenure as governor.
The Guardian
