Thirty governors of the All Progressives Congress, APC, including Hope Uzodimma of Imo, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers and former Secretary to Oyo State Government, Sarafadeen Alli, were among aspirants cleared for the primaries of the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

Confirming the development, yesterday, party sources told Vanguard that a flood of petitions is stalling release of the screening report.

As part of activities to meet the timelines of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the polls, the APC had announced that it would publish the names of cleared aspirants on May 13.

Vanguard gathered that the party screened no fewer than 2,980 aspirants for one presidential slot, 28 governorship, 109 Senate, 360 House of Representatives, and 991 state assembly positions.

However, at press time, last night, the party was yet to release the screening report.

Asked why, a top party leader told Vanguard, “we are still working on the screening report to make sure everything goes well.”

Told that May 13 was almost over, he said ‘’ the day is not over.”

Pressed further, the source said the party received many petitions from the eight panels that conducted the primaries. ‘’For instance, one of the panels received 10 petitions and the petitions have to be treated on their merit,’’ the source said.

No governor was disqualified

On reports that Rivers State Governor, Fubara, had been disqualified, the source said: ‘’Nooo! No governor has been booted out. The party has always supported its governors. Some of them like Uzodimma got automatic clearance.’’

Consensus as first option

To ensure that the party approaches the polls as a united front, the source said the APC hierarchy was working towards consensus but where that fails, direct primaries will be held in accordance with the Electoral Act.

“We know some of the high profile aspirants don’t want to consent, and are ready to go to court. We don’t want that,” he said.

Another source told Vanguard that former Power Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, who is eyeing the Oyo State governorship, has issues and may not be cleared.

The source added that Sarafadeen Alli, who had been cleared, has the support of the party.

On the battle for Ogun East senatorial ticket between Governor Dapo Abiodun and Senator Gbenga Daniel, the source said: ‘The matter has not been settled. Daniel is not ready to consent to consensus.’’

Daniel benefited from same consensus process he now attacks— Ogun govt

Meanwhile, Ogun State government, yesterday, lashed out at the lawmaker representing Ogun East, Senator Gbenga Daniel, describing his recent criticisms of Governor Dapo Abiodun as “the rantings of a drowning politician” who is now demonising the same political arrangement that facilitated his emergence as Senator in 2023.

The government said it was ironic that Daniel, who allegedly benefited from the APC, consensus arrangement through the intervention of Governor Abiodun ahead of the 2023 elections, had suddenly turned against the same party structure and collective decision-making process that secured his senatorial ticket.

Daniel, during his Midterm Assessment and Empowerment Tour in Ijebu Ode, had accused Governor Abiodun of neglecting Ijebuland, frustrating federal projects attracted to him, causing Ogun State to lose the proposed Dangote Refinery project, and opposing the establishment of a Naval base in Abigi.

However, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Mr Kayode Akinmade, in a statement, dismissed the allegations as baseless, politically motivated and symptomatic of a politician allegedly battling declining influence within the APC.

The state government argued that the former governor had resorted to “cheap propaganda and outright falsehood” after allegedly realising that his political ambitions ahead of the 2027 elections had suffered a setback.

The statement reads: “Daniel is simply fighting the same consensus arrangement and party structure that produced him as Senator in 2023. It is shocking that someone who benefited immensely from the collective decision of the party is now demonising the same process simply because it no longer aligns with his personal ambition.

“The governor ensured a peaceful consensus arrangement that paved the way for Daniel’s emergence as the APC senatorial candidate. It is, therefore, ironic that the same individual now seeks to discredit the party and its leadership merely because he could not have his way politically.

“Everybody in the state, especially in Ijebuland, appreciates the modest achievements of Governor Dapo Abiodun. Most of the deplorable roads abandoned by previous administrations have now been fixed, while about 29 major road projects have been completed in Ijebu Ode alone.

“It is interesting that Daniel, who left office in 2011 when the exchange rate hovered between N150 and N170 to a dollar, is now claiming he would have executed more projects with current allocations at a time the dollar exchanges for over N1, 370. In his desperation to attack the governor, he ignored basic economic realities.”

It further accused Senator Daniel of engaging in anti-party activities during the 2023 governorship election and other political contests in the state.

“The leadership and stakeholders of the APC in Ogun East became uncomfortable with Daniel’s repeated anti-party activities, including openly supporting opposition elements during the 2023 governorship election and other elections in the state,” it stated.

On the recent APC stakeholders’ meeting in Ijebu Ode, Akinmade said: “The party took a collective decision, but he behaves as though he is bigger than the party. When Governor Abiodun was adopted as the consensus candidate for Ogun East, stakeholders from the ward, local government and state levels were all present. So why is he now fighting the same process that once worked in his favour?”

He secured landslide victory, says ex-gov’s camp

Reacting to claims by the state government, the Media Aide to Senator Daniel, Steve Oliyide, said his boss secured a landslide victory during the primary election that produced him as Senatorial candidate of the district.

Oliyide stated that Daniel went through the primary election, as against the claims by the State government that the exercise was merely a “consensus arrangement.”

According to Oliyide, results from the delegate-based primary conducted at Itoro Hall showed that Daniel secured a landslide victory, polling 450 votes out of the 496 votes cast across the nine local government areas in Ogun East Senatorial District.

He said: “Daniel defeated other aspirants by a wide margin, with his closest challenger, Lekan Mustapha, polling 29 votes, while Seyi Oduntan garnered 11 votes and Segun Adesegun secured six votes.

He added that the emergence of the detailed voting figures has continued to fuel debate among party members and political observers over the description of the process as a “consensus arrangement,” given the participation of multiple aspirants and the conduct of voting by delegates.

Alleged imposition threatens Oyo APC

In Oyo State, governorship aspirants have vowed to resist any attempt to impose a candidate ahead of the party’s 2027 governorship primary, insisting that due process, fairness and internal democracy must prevail.

The aspirants, in a communiqué at the end of a high-level meeting held in Ibadan, noted that they were not opposed to the adoption of a consensus candidate.

They stressed that such an arrangement must emerge through a transparent, credible and democratic process.

The meeting was attended by former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Rauf Olaniyan; Mr Akeem Agbaje; Oyedele Hakeem Alao; Prince Musibau Asanike and Dr Ololade Bakare.

The aspirants reaffirmed their loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and the leadership of the APC, pledging continued support for the party at both the state and national levels.

The communiqué said: “Imposition is a betrayal of democracy, and we reject it totally, completely and without compromise.

“We rise today to salute the courage, foresight and tireless administrative prowess of President Bola Tinubu.

“In the face of daunting national challenges, he has stood firm, guiding this country with steady hands.

“We are not enemies of consensus. We respect the time-honoured tradition of our party to build unity through agreement. But let consensus never become a cover for exclusion or manipulation.

“The process must be transparent, free, fair and clean, worthy of a party that claims to stand for the people. Anything less is an insult to the sacrifices of our members who have bled for this party.

“It pains us to see how money and material inducement are sometimes paraded as tools to hijack the will of the people.

“We condemn, in the strongest terms, the flaunting of cash and every form of inducement that corrupts the process of selecting our leaders.”

Aiyedatiwa bows to pressure, to conduct direct primaries

Following a directive from the National Working Committee, NWC, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State, yesterday, agreed to adopt direct primaries scheduled for May 15, 18, and 20, 2026.

Aiyedatiwa had earlier pushed for a consensus, a move that drew resistance from party stakeholders and aspirants.

The governor, in a statement, by the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Idowu Ajanaku, said Ondo APC would align with the NWC directive that direct primaries should be used where no consensus is reached.

Ajanaku said: “The Ondo State chapter of the party remains committed to abiding by the guidelines and internal democratic principles laid down by the national leadership of the APC.”

He urged stakeholders to put the party and state above personal ambition and called on security agencies, electoral officials, and party members to cooperate for a credible exercise across the state.

Police begin show-of-force

Consequently, Ondo State police command has begun strategic show-of-force operations ahead of the political activities. Commissioner of Police, CP Adebowale Lawal, led a high-powered tour to Idanre and Owo local government areas with senior officers, tactical commanders, and other personnel.

According to the police spokesperson, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, the operation involved conventional officers, tactical teams, PMF personnel, intelligence units, and operational assets. It was designed to reassure residents of the command’s readiness to maintain law and order before, during, and after all political engagements.

Lawal said the command would not tolerate political violence, thuggery, voter intimidation, cult-related disturbances, or any act that could undermine public peace. He described the exercise as both a confidence-building patrol and a warning to criminal elements planning unrest. (Vanguard)

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