President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
- APC adopts direct primary for presidential ticket
- Ugochinyere cautions ADC, NDC, LP against bickering
- el-Rufai’s son, four others dump APC, PDP for ADC, NDC in Reps
- Ardo vows not to back down on opposition to NDC’s registration
- Adebayo decries police siege on secretariat as SDP vows to proceed with convention
- Obi promises to prioritise credible opposition if elected president
- Obidient Movement disowns splinter groups, warns against impersonation
Barring any last-minute changes, the first lap in the timelines for the 2027 general elections would be crossed this weekend when the deadline for submission of political parties’ membership registers to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would have elapsed.
However, with 48 hours to go before the close of parties’ registers, politicians are switching sides just as the disarray within the leading opposition parties continues.
Beating the digital membership register deadline is a hurdle high enough for the opposition parties to cross, as only the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) appears free of the ongoing mad rush to beat the deadline.
While others were staging protests and attending to lingering court cases, the APC, which flagged off its online registration early in 2026, well ahead of the passage of the 2026 Electoral Act in mid-February, concluded its nationwide membership revalidation and is all set for the next stage in the electoral calendar—conduct of primaries to pick candidates for elective positions.
Already, the APC National Working Committee (NWC) has announced the adoption of direct primary as the method for selecting its presidential candidate ahead of the 2027 general elections. With this decision, APC members across the country are expected to vote directly for their preferred candidate between President Bola Tinubu, who is seeking a second term in office and Edo State businessman Osifo Stanley, who purchased the party’s N100 million presidential nomination forms.
President Tinubu, on Thursday, formally submitted his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja. The documents were delivered on his behalf by Vice President Kashim Shettima, amid chants of “On your mandate we shall stand” by scores of party stalwarts, including ministers, members of the Progressive Governors Forum, led by Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, National Assembly members, as well as heads of agencies and parastatals.
Recall that a member of the House of Representatives, James Faleke, had earlier picked up the nomination forms on behalf of the President at the party’s national secretariat on Tuesday. Stanley, a chieftain of the ruling party, had also confirmed his intention to contest the APC presidential ticket, setting up a potential internal contest against the incumbent president.
With the receipt of the president’s nomination forms, party leaders declared that the “coast is now clear” for his participation in the party’s direct primary. Presenting the nomination forms to the Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda-led NWC, Shettima said Tinubu had demonstrated courage and leadership by taking difficult decisions to stabilise the country’s economy.
“As he seeks to lead us for another four years through thick and thin, the President has proved his mettle and has shown the world that his capacity and resolve to pull the nation out of the woods remain intact,” Shettima said.
He added that the Renewed Hope Agenda had translated into tangible successes across several sectors of the economy. Shettima said the President inherited a fragile economy with low foreign reserves but chose not to blame past administrations.
“When President Bola Tinubu assumed the mantle of leadership, our foreign reserves stood at about $33.99 billion, not enough to support the importation of oil for one month. Instead of passing blame, instead of kicking the ball down the road, he decided to take responsibility and make the country work. And Nigeria is now working,” he added.
The 2027 stage, however, appears not set for the opposition parties as internal crises continue to overwhelm preparations for the polls.
At a time when parties should be focused on the primaries to select representatives before the May 30 deadline for submission of candidates, party leaders in the embattled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Coalition (ADC) and the newly formed Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) are still battling legitimacy crises amid the mad rush to sign on members in the rush to beat the INEC deadline for digital register.
Ardo vows not to back down on opposition to NDC’s registration
ON the flanks of the latest ‘beautiful bride’ of opposition politician, the NDC, co-convener of League of Northern Democrats (LND) and 2023 Adamawa State governorship candidate of SDP, Dr Umar Ardo, has said he would not back down from challenging the INEC’s registration of NDC as a political party.
He said those who, out of ignorance, question his locus standi in challenging NDC’s registration do not know enough, adding that those castigating him for taking the matter to court should look at the issues with an open mind.
While insisting that the issue of locus standi was immaterial in the litigation, Ardo said the modalities for registering new political parties were clearly spelt out, stressing that only organisations that faithfully abide by the steps could be considered for registration.
Citing the INEC guidelines, he stated: “No political association can be registered as a political party without filling INEC’s Form EC15A, which is INEC’s Party Registration Form. This form is online and an association pays a mandatory N2m Administrative Fee to be issued with INEC’s Access Code, with which the association will open the portal and make its application.
“In the application, it will upload the party name, acronym, logo, constitution, manifesto, names, addresses, ID cards, passport photographs, Indigene letters, etc. of its national executive members, address of national office headquarters, INEC’s payment receipt, bank account details, an affidavit of truth, etc.
“It is these documents that INEC will examine to see whether they comply with the requirements of the constitution, Electoral Act and its Guidelines. And until these documents are uploaded on the INEC portal and INEC examines them and finds them to have 100% complied, it cannot register the association as a political party, because that’s the requirement of the law.
“But, in the case of NDC, it did not pay the N2 million mandatory Administrative Fee, it did not collect the Access Code, therefore it did not FILL the Form EC15A and it did not upload anything – AS REQUIRED BY LAW. So, what documents did they put before the Lokoja FHC for the court to say they fulfilled ALL the requirements of the constitution, the law and the guidelines?”
Ardo, who is also a political associate of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, said he has obtained the Certified True Copy of all documents and processes that the NDC placed before the court, including the judgment.
Rebuffing insinuations that his beef against NDC was due to the non-registration of All Democrats Alliance (ADA), which he promoted, he claimed that he is peeved because the party naturally exhibited not one of those fundamental documents, arguing that “it couldn’t because it did not fill Form EC15A and upload them into INEC’s Registration Portal.
“The court was thoroughly misled to have made a pronouncement without any due regard to these documents, making it a highly pervasive judgment. It’s like someone contesting a presidential or governorship primaries and losing and without filling INEC’s nomination Form EC13A or EC13B, respectively, and his party submitting to INEC. It means that he was not on the ballot,” he declared.
Former presidential candidate of the SDP, Adewole Adebayo, has decried the invasion of the SDP national secretariat by security operatives on Thursday. Adebayo, in a statement, alleged that the action was part of a coordinated attempt to disrupt the SDP’s presidential nomination process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, the move was orchestrated to frustrate his ambition of emerging as the party’s presidential candidate. Speaking after the incident, Adebayo accused President Tinubu of attempting to impose a “one-man rule” on the country, alleging that forces loyal to the presidency were behind the operation at the party secretariat.
The party reaffirmed its decision to proceed with its national convention in Bauchi despite what it described as a coordinated attempt to destabilise the party, including a controversial security operation at its national secretariat. National Chairman, Sadiq Gombe, said the party remained firmly guided by its constitution and would not be distracted by internal dissent or external pressure, insisting that all disciplinary actions were properly executed under Article 123 of the party constitution.
He explained that suspensions and expulsions of the former chairman, Shehu Gabam, and the former financial secretary were based on allegations of misconduct, financial infractions, and constitutional breaches, following investigations by a committee set up by the National Working Committee (NWC). According to him, affected members were given a fair hearing, but some failed to appear before the panel, after which the committee recommended expulsion, which was later ratified by the National Executive Committee (NEC).
Despite the mounting tension, the SDP reaffirmed that its national convention will proceed in Bauchi as scheduled, following the approval of an alternative venue after earlier locations were allegedly blocked.
Gombe said preparations were in advanced stages, with delegates already mobilising nationwide, stressing that attempts to derail the exercise would fail.
He urged members to remain calm and focused, describing the convention as a defining moment for the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
But Gabam on Thursday formally resumed office following his recognition as the authentic leader of the party by the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal. Gabam arrived at the party secretariat, accompanied by security personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Addressing party members, Gabam urged SDP supporters nationwide to remain calm and peaceful, assuring them that the party was prepared to move forward with “decency and dignity.”
He announced that the party’s congresses would commence on May 16, while the National Convention would be held in Abuja. Gabam also distanced his faction from any parallel convention, describing such moves as illegitimate.
The member representing Ideato North, South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Ikenga Ugochinyere, has called on opposition political parties, particularly the ADC, NDC and Labour Party (LP) to stop unnecessary internal attacks and focus on building unity capable of strengthening democratic opposition in the country.
In a statement on Thursday, Ugochinyere described the growing culture of public bickering, accusations, and needless confrontations among opposition figures as childish and counterproductive.
According to him, “this is not the time for unnecessary fights and media attacks against one another. Nigerians expect the opposition to provide direction, hope, and credible alternatives, not endless quarrels that weaken collective strength.”
He stressed that personal interests and ego-driven politics must give way to cooperation, dialogue, and strategic alliance-building in the interest of the nation and the people. He therefore urged leaders and members of the parties to concentrate on issues affecting Nigerians, including insecurity, economic hardship, unemployment, and governance challenges, rather than dissipating energy on internal divisions.
He maintained that unity remains the strongest weapon for any political movement seeking to inspire confidence among citizens and deepen democratic values. “The people are watching. What Nigerians want to see is maturity, unity, and a common purpose. Opposition politics should not become a battlefield of insults and bitterness,” he stated.
Obi: I will prioritise credible opposition if elected president
On his part, 2027 presidential hopeful and former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has said he will prioritise a credible opposition as president of Nigeria, saying that opposition parties are essential to governance.
Obi, who recently moved to the NDC from his previous party, the ADC, stated this on Thursday when he visited the University of the Niger, a faith-based institution, where he donated N25 million to the institution’s development.
While fielding questions from journalists, Obi said he was leaving political parties not for the fun of it, but because there were crises and acrimony in such parties, and he was usually the target.
He said, “People are talking about issues of political parties, but for me, I talk about issues of service. As you know, I have never left any party for leaving’s sake. I leave a party when I see conflict and crisis. I was in Labour, and I saw endless unresolved litigations and problems, and those problems were mainly because of me, so I felt I should leave.
“So I went to ADC and I felt the same situation, so I had to leave. When you move around, you will see that people just want power for the sake of power. That is why I’m pleading with them to allow democracy to thrive.
“Opposition is a critical part of government. If I were to be in government today, the main thing I would achieve is to have a strong opposition. Work with them, take their constructive advice.”
Asked why he was still moving about making donations at a time when he should be saving for the presidential project ahead, Obi said people were expecting him to save money to pay agents to guard his votes, but Nigerians must guard their votes themselves and not wait to be paid to do so.
“I’m spending money to support education because I value the future of these young people. Don’t expect me to keep money to buy polling unit agents because I will not do it.”
el-Rufai’s son, four others dump APC, PDP for ADC, NDC in Reps
AMID the uncertainties within the opposition parties, fresh defections hit the House of Representatives on Thursday as five lawmakers dumped the ruling APC and the PDP for the NDC and ADC in the growing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Among the defectors was the son of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, Muhammed el-Rufai, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency. The younger el-Rufai defected from the APC to the NDC, a move seen by political observers as a major signal of the widening crack between his father and the ruling party.
Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, read the lawmakers’ letters of defection during plenary on Thursday. Muhammed el-Rufai’s exit came months after speculations over his political future following the increasing criticism of President Tinubu’s administration by his father, Nasir.
The former governor, once a key ally of Tinubu and a prominent APC figure, has in recent months openly accused the ruling party of abandoning internal democracy and sidelining loyal stakeholders.
Also joining the NDC was Joshua Obika, representing Abaji/Gwagwalada/Kuje/Kwali Federal Constituency of the Federal Capital Territory. Obika defected from the APC to the NDC, marking his third political movement since the inauguration of the 10th Assembly. He was elected on the platform of the Labour Party in 2023 before moving to the APC in March 2026.
Similarly, Abdulhakeem Kamilu, representing Wudil/Garko Federal Constituency of Kano State, dumped the ADC for the NDC, citing what he described as unresolved leadership issues within the party. Kamilu was elected into the House on the platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) before defecting to the ADC earlier this year.
In another development, two lawmakers from Kaduna State, Suleiman Richifa and Umar Ajilo, defected from the PDP to the ADC. The lawmakers attributed their decision to the lingering crisis within the PDP at both the state and national levels.
The latest defections came barely days after 17 lawmakers reportedly aligned with the NDC, underscoring growing efforts by opposition politicians to build a coalition capable of challenging the APC in the 2027 elections. The development further altered the political composition of the House and fuelled speculations that more defections may occur in the coming months as political consultations intensify ahead of the next election cycle.
Obidient movement disowns splinter groups, warns against impersonation
THE fear of cracks within the formidable Obidient Movement was yesterday doused when the body rejected the emergence of what it called unauthorised groups and parallel structures allegedly operating under similar names, warning that such actions are aimed at causing confusion within its ranks and among the public.
In a statement issued by the National Coordinator, Yunusa Tanko, the movement said it has not authorised any faction, sub-group, or alternative leadership outside its officially recognised structure aligned with its principal, Peter Obi.
The movement stressed that any individuals or organisations using derivative or misleading identities to suggest affiliation do not represent its leadership, values, or objectives. It urged the public, supporters across Nigeria and the diaspora, and media organisations to be cautious and disregard any communication or structure not issued through its official channels.
According to the statement, the Obidient Movement remains a unified, people-driven platform anchored on accountability, justice, integrity, and a shared vision for national renewal. It warned that attempts to exploit the movement’s name or popularity for personal or political gain would not distract it from its core mission or its engagement with Nigerians.
The Guardian
