By CHARLES IWUOHA

The decision by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo State to adopt direct primaries for the selection of its candidates for the 27 House of Assembly seats, 10 House of Representatives seats, and 3 senatorial seats has effectively ended the much-anticipated consensus arrangement.

In a statement issued on Saturday by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Jones Onwusoanya, the APC announced that party members would vote directly to elect candidates for various elective offices across the state.

The announcement is being interpreted within political circles as a major shift from the pattern used in 2023 when the party and, more importantly, Governor Hope Uzodinma played a dominant role in producing candidates through consensus arrangements largely driven by loyalty considerations.

The move has also intensified political calculations within the ruling party in the state as old rivalries resurface ahead of the primaries, party insiders said that the decision was heavily influenced by the looming battle for the APC ticket in Orlu Senatorial Zone.

At the centre of the expected confrontation is former governor Rochas Okorocha, who recently obtained the APC Expression of Interest and Nomination forms to contest for the Orlu Senate seat.

Okorocha’s return was said to have complicated efforts to retain a consensus arrangement because the amended 2026 Electoral Act requires all aspirants in a consensus process to formally endorse the preferred candidate before such a candidate can emerge unopposed.

Insiders familiar with the internal discussions said party leaders concluded that Okorocha, a long-time political adversary of Uzodimma, was unlikely to support any arrangement capable of producing the governor as the APC senatorial candidate for Orlu Zone.

A top party source said: “Direct primaries are therefore being viewed within the party as the safest political pathway for Uzodinma, who is widely believed to retain overwhelming influence over the APC structure in Imo State.”

Several party officials privately admitted that the governor is expected to dominate any direct voting process because of his grip on ward, local government, and state party machinery.

A similar calculation Is believed to have influenced the party’s strategy in Okigwe Senatorial Zone, where Senator Ifeanyi Araraume has also re-emerged after purchasing forms to contest for the APC senatorial ticket.

Araraume’s re-entry has revived old tensions within the party. His allies continue to blame Governor Uzodinma for the reversal of his appointment as Chairman of the Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Senior APC figures and political analysts stated that, beyond neutralising powerful internal opponents in Imo APC, the party is also trying to avoid another divisive consensus exercise that could provoke defections and deepen internal resentment.

According to party insiders, some APC leaders fear that aspirants denied tickets through consensus could defect to rival political platforms, including the African Democratic Congress and the fast-growing National Democratic Congress, ahead of the May 10 deadline for political party membership adjustments.