With four days to the opening of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal for the submission of candidates by political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is still working to resolve some petitions arising from its primary elections.

INEC has fixed June 26 for political parties to begin uploading the names of their candidates for the 2027 general elections.

Although the APC concluded its primaries on May 30, the party is yet to release the final list of candidates or issue Certificates of Return to most winners, except the presidential candidate.

More than three weeks after the primaries, many aspirants remain uncertain about their status due to the delay in the release of the final list.

The uncertainty has been heightened by comments from senior party officials indicating that the National Working Committee (NWC) has the final authority to determine the party’s flag bearers for the elections.

The situation has left many aspirants for state assembly, National Assembly and governorship positions anxious, particularly in states where the primaries were fiercely contested.

Investigations by Daily Trust show that petitions were received from nearly all states where primaries were conducted, except a few, such as Kano, where most positions were settled through consensus.

A source at the APC national secretariat attributed the delay to unresolved petitions submitted by aggrieved aspirants.

According to the source, while most genuine complaints have been addressed by the party’s appeal committees, a number of cases from Lagos, Kwara, Kogi and some other states are still being reviewed.

Asked why the party had yet to release the final list, the source said there was no rule requiring it to do so before submission to INEC, adding that aspirants could confirm their status once the names are uploaded on the commission’s portal.

Another party source said the list of candidates was largely ready and would be forwarded to INEC once the submission window opens.

The source dismissed claims that the party was overwhelmed by petitions, saying only a few outstanding issues remained.

Efforts to get the reaction of the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls or a WhatsApp message sent to him on the matter.

Situation in states

Investigations by our correspondents across several states revealed that many aggrieved aspirants have filed petitions with the APC national secretariat through the party’s appeal committees.

In some states, however, party leaders and stakeholders intervened to prevent disputes from escalating.

In Zamfara State, our correspondent gathered that seven court cases are currently challenging the outcome of the APC primaries, although some of the litigants reportedly approached the courts without first exhausting the party’s internal appeal process.

The cases include challenges to the emergence of Governor Dauda Lawal as the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Ikira Aliyu Bilbis as the Zamfara Central senatorial candidate, and Senator Sahabi Ya’u Kaura Namoda as the candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District.

Four other cases involve House of Representatives tickets.

In Kogi State, Chief Momoh Yusuf Obaro, who contested the Kogi Central Senatorial District primary, has petitioned the APC National Working Committee (NWC), calling for the cancellation of the exercise over alleged irregularities.

Similarly, Senator Jibrin Isah Echocho, representing Kogi East, has challenged the conduct of the primary, alleging that it did not comply with party guidelines and electoral laws.

Senator Sunday Karimi of Kogi West also petitioned the party leadership, alleging that although he was declared the winner by the returning officer, his name was later replaced with that of another aspirant at the party secretariat.

In Gombe State, former governor Senator Danjuma Goje is also challenging the outcome of the senatorial primary in which another aspirant was declared the winner.

One of his aides confirmed that he had submitted a petition to the APC national secretariat.

Two House of Representatives aspirants, Alfred Attaji of Balanga/Billiri Federal Constituency and Zakariya Jidda of Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency, have also petitioned the party over alleged irregularities.

The APC governorship primary in the state also generated controversy.

Former Minister of Transport, Senator Saidu Ahmed Alkali, boycotted the exercise, while former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, subsequently defected to the PDP.

In Ekiti State, petitions have been filed against the emergence of Senator Ayo Arise as the APC candidate for Ekiti North Senatorial District and Kolawole Davidson Akinlayo for Ekiti North Federal Constituency II.

In Edo State, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who contested the Edo South Senatorial District ticket, reportedly petitioned the party leadership, alleging irregularities and insisting that he won the primary election.

Disputes over governorship tickets

Party sources said disputes over governorship tickets are still being addressed in Oyo, Kwara, Bauchi and Nasarawa states.

In Nasarawa, former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who contested the governorship primary, has petitioned the APC national leadership over the process that produced Senator Aliyu Wadada as the winner.

Adamu, who challenged the outcome through the party’s appeal committee, alleged that the results were manipulated and called for a thorough investigation.

He insisted that the process did not reflect the principles of fairness, transparency and internal democracy.

The former police chief also warned that he could consider joining another political party if the matter was not fairly resolved.

The crisis has spread beyond the governorship contest, with several other aspirants expressing dissatisfaction over the primaries.

Meanwhile, the contest for the Nasarawa South Senatorial District ticket has generated fresh controversy.

The APC primary committee declared Abubakar Hassan Nalaraba winner, ahead of Deputy Governor Emmanuel Akabe.

However, supporters of both politicians have continued to lay claim to the ticket, citing petitions and counter-petitions before the party.

As of the time of filing this report, neither Nalaraba nor Akabe had issued an official statement on the matter, while party members await the decision of the appeal committee.

In Kwara State, fresh divisions emerged within the APC over the emergence of Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, as the party’s governorship candidate.

What began as dissatisfaction after the primary election has developed into a major internal crisis, with at least 10 governorship aspirants rejecting the process that produced the Speaker.

The dispute has pitched party elders, former office holders and some aspirants against supporters of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Danladi-Salihu.

The primary election was marred by controversy after it was postponed from Thursday to Friday following disputes over the disqualification and subsequent clearance of some aspirants.

Although the party announced that voting would commence after Juma’at prayers, some members later alleged that results were announced before voting took place in several areas.

The emergence of Danladi-Salihu further deepened the controversy, particularly after earlier reports suggested he had stepped down from the governorship race to seek re-election to the House of Assembly.

Under the platform of an elders’ caucus led by Chief James Bamisaiye, some party stakeholders argued that the APC candidate did not emerge through a transparent process.

A member of the caucus and former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Salman Jawondo (SAN), said the crisis was about internal democracy and not personal opposition to the Speaker.

However, supporters of the Speaker and the governor insist that the primary complied with APC guidelines and was supervised by officials sent from the party’s national headquarters.

Amid the controversy, party chieftain Kayode Ogunlowo called for reconciliation, warning that any attempt to replace the candidate could worsen the crisis.

The state APC, however, dismissed the allegations.

State Chairman, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, said aggrieved aspirants were free to seek redress through the party’s internal mechanisms.

Reacting to the crisis, the National President of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA), Prof. Hassan Saliu, warned that the APC could face electoral setbacks if urgent reconciliation efforts are not made.

He said no political camp could win elections alone without the support of other stakeholders, adding that signs of growing support for the opposition were already emerging in some parts of Kwara State.

Saliu cautioned that failure to address the grievances of aggrieved aspirants could fuel anti-party activities and weaken the APC’s chances in future elections.

“If 10 governorship aspirants are aggrieved, it means the matter is far from over,” he said.

He urged party leaders to embrace dialogue and reconciliation, stressing that the crisis surrounding the emergence of the Speaker requires a political solution. (Daily Trust)

Update news