Signs of internal disquiet have continued to dog the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections, as disputes over consensus candidacies, allegations of manipulation and growing defections unsettle the ruling party across several states.

A member of the House of Representatives from Katsina State, Abubakar Yahaya Kusada, yesterday described recent defections from the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state as worrisome ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Kusada, who represents Kankia/Kusada/Ingawa Federal Constituency, spoke while reacting to the defection of his colleague, Sani Lawal, representing Baure/Zango Federal Constituency, who reportedly left the APC after failing to secure a consensus ticket for the 2027 elections.

Before Lawal’s defection, another lawmaker from the state, Shehu Tafoki, representing Kankara/Faskari/Sabuwa Federal Constituency, had also dumped the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party.

Kusada warned that the growing wave of defections could affect the electoral fortunes of the ruling party in the coming elections.

He called on the Presidency and APC stakeholders at the national and state levels to urgently address the situation to prevent further defections.

The lawmaker, who said he would remain in the APC, was himself replaced by Mustapha Kanti Bello following the outcome of the party’s consensus arrangement in the state.

Bello is the son of the late Senator Kanti Bello, a prominent politician and philanthropist during the administration of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

“I think these defections are not quite good for our great party, the APC, as we’re approaching the general elections in the coming months,” Kusada said.

“Something reasonable has to be done to prevent further defections.

“It’s not only about what happened in my constituency, but the whole process is biased towards favouring some individuals who have a silver spoon in this government.

“The Presidency and our great party have to look into how the process was conducted and make corrections where necessary.”

He warned that failure to address the grievances of aggrieved members could have serious consequences for the party.

“If this goes unchecked, the end result will be disastrous for the party. As a party faithful, I’m not seeing the party being able to win easily in the upcoming elections unless all these anomalies are addressed to the satisfaction of the aggrieved persons,” he added.

The Guardian learnt that some aggrieved APC members in Katsina State have continued to express dissatisfaction over the consensus arrangement adopted by the party.

The development has reportedly prompted some members to consider defecting to other political parties.

APC members protest alleged denial of membership cards in Ogun

Also, some members of the All Progressives Congress in Abeokuta South Local Government Area of Ogun State yesterday staged a peaceful protest over the alleged refusal of party leaders to issue them membership cards despite completing their registration.

The protesters also accused some leaders of plotting to impose candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to the aggrieved members, the delay in issuing membership cards was aimed at disenfranchising them during the party’s primary elections.

The protesters, who gathered at the APC secretariat in Ijaye, Abeokuta, carried placards with inscriptions including “Give Us Our Membership Cards,” “We Don’t Want Imposition,” and “Let Us Vote for Our Candidates.”

Speaking during the protest, one of the demonstrators, Adesanya Akinbode, demanded immediate access to the membership cards, saying loyal members of the party deserved to participate fully in its internal democratic process.

“Give us our membership cards. We want to vote. We have been loyal APC members from the beginning. We are loyal supporters and political children of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun. Give us our membership cards so that we can have access to vote,” he said.

Another protester, Idowu Rodiat, alleged that some party leaders were attempting to impose candidates on members against their wishes.

“We don’t want imposition in our local government. We want our primary election, and we really need security in that primary election. We want to vote for our own leader. We don’t want any leader to choose for us.

“We, the members of APC, want to vote for our true leader, our House of Representatives candidate, our Senate candidate, and our House of Assembly candidate by ourselves. We don’t want any leader to impose candidates on us,” she said.

Reacting to the allegations, the APC Publicity Secretary in Ogun State, Nuerudeen Olufemi, denied claims that members were being denied access to their membership cards.

Olufemi explained that registered members could print their membership cards online, adding that ward officials had been assigned to assist members with the process.

“What we expect is for registered members to be able to access and print their membership cards directly. The arrangement is that each ward has a contact person responsible for handling registrations. These individuals were selected from the wards to carry out the registration process,” he said.

He urged members to meet with their ward contact persons or log on to the party’s website to print their cards.

“So, I don’t see how anyone can claim they are being denied access. Nobody is denying anybody,” he added.

Olufemi said the issue may have resulted from inadequate orientation at the ward level, stressing that the state chapter of the party was not involved in denying members access to their cards.

“What we need to do is reach out to the ward chairmen to properly orientate them and provide the right information on how members in their wards can print their slips. It is very easy. The state has absolutely nothing to do with denying anyone access, as far as I am concerned,” he said.

Ex-lawmaker warns APC against sidelining Fubara ahead of 2027

Relatedly, a former member of the House of Representatives, Bernard Mikko, warned the ruling All Progressives Congress against sidelining Siminalayi Fubara ahead of the 2027 governorship election in Rivers State.

Mikko cautioned the party against repeating what he described as the political scenario that denied former Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode a second-term ticket in 2019.

He warned that any attempt to manipulate the APC screening process against Fubara could trigger resistance from Rivers voters.

“If APC stops Fubara, the grassroots people of Rivers will support an alternative party and candidate,” he said.

Mikko also cautioned against political godfatherism and the imposition of candidates in the state, insisting that Rivers people would resist any attempt to dictate their political choices ahead of the 2027 election.

Speaking amid reports that Fubara walked out of the APC screening exercise over the weekend and declined media interviews afterwards, the former lawmaker urged the governor to abandon what he described as “gentleman politics” and engage more actively with his supporters.

He encouraged politicians across party lines to prepare for the 2027 governorship contest, noting that politics in Rivers State remained open and unpredictable.

Mikko, who represented Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency between 1999 and 2003, said Fubara still enjoyed strong grassroots support capable of sustaining his political future if properly mobilised.

According to him, many of those who worked for Fubara’s emergence as governor still believed in his leadership and considered him a viable option for the state.

However, he warned that the governor risked political isolation if he failed to defend his administration more aggressively in the media and public space.

Mikko contrasted Fubara’s quiet political approach with the media visibility of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

“Politics is about visibility and engagement. Wike is actively pushing his narrative in the media, while Fubara is not explaining his side of the story,” he said.

He advised the governor to deploy his political structure more effectively through sustained mobilisation and public engagement ahead of future political battles.

Mikko added that political alignments in Rivers State remained fluid, with various camps already positioning for influence ahead of the next election cycle.

Oyo APC vows to conduct credible direct primaries ahead of 2027 elections

However, the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo, assured party members and aspirants that the party would conduct free, fair and credible direct primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Adeyemo, a former deputy governor of the state, gave the assurance while receiving members of the APC Screening and Appeal Committees deployed to Oyo State from the party’s national secretariat in Abuja at the APC secretariat in Oke-Ado, Ibadan.

He said the party had initially explored a consensus arrangement but indications showed that direct primaries would be adopted in some cases, including the governorship ticket.

“We set machinery in motion for us to achieve the aim of consensus across board, but reports available to me indicate that we would have to go by the second option, which is direct primaries, in certain cases, including the governorship ticket,” Adeyemo said.

“To this end, we shall work towards organising free, fair and credible exercise in all the affected areas, even as we cannot rule out the possibility of some aspirants having a rethink and supporting the consensus arrangement as necessary.”

He explained that officials from the party’s national headquarters would supervise the primaries where there were multiple aspirants, while the state chapter would provide the necessary support.

“Either consensus or direct primaries, every registered party member will be involved as they will all gather at their respective wards on the date picked by the National Secretariat for the primary as it affects each elective position.

“For consensus, members will lend their voices for affirmation, while voting will be done in the cases of direct primary,” he added.

APC says consensus arrangement will not exclude aspirants

Similarly, the Chairman of the APC National Assembly Screening Committee, Farouk Aliyu, said the consensus arrangement adopted by the ruling All Progressives Congress would not exclude any aspirant from contesting for elective positions.

Aliyu stated this during an interview on Channels Television, where he explained that the party’s nomination process remained open and competitive.

According to him, the consensus option was designed to encourage internal agreement among aspirants before resorting to a vote-based process.

He said the party would adopt direct primaries in cases where disagreements arise over the choice of a consensus candidate.

“The idea of a consensus candidate does not preclude anyone else from running,” he said.

Aliyu added that the APC constitution provides for direct primaries where consensus cannot be achieved.

“If there are contending opinions regarding consensus, direct primaries will be used in those instances. Nobody will be excluded,” he stated.

The clarification comes amid growing political realignments and preparations within the APC ahead of future elections and internal party contests.

APC warns aspirants against violence ahead of 2027 primaries

Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has urged aspirants seeking elective positions on the party’s platform to conduct themselves with discipline, maturity and sportsmanship ahead of the party primaries for the 2027 general election.

Yilwatda gave the warning in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Information Strategy while addressing aspirants who recently participated in screening exercises conducted by various committees constituted by the party.

He said the APC remained committed to transparent, peaceful and credible primaries capable of strengthening internal democracy and sustaining public confidence in the ruling party.

The APC chairman warned that the party would not tolerate acts capable of disrupting the primaries, stressing that aspirants or supporters found instigating violence, sponsoring unrest, engaging in anti-party activities or attempting to undermine the process would face disciplinary measures, including suspension.

According to him, the APC had built a reputation as a nationally accepted political platform and would not allow individual ambition to override the collective interest of the party and the stability of the country.

“In every democratic contest, only one person will eventually emerge victorious. What is important is the spirit with which the process is approached. I urge all aspirants to display maturity, patriotism and good sportsmanship by embracing the outcome of the primaries in the overall interest of the party and our democracy,” he said.

Yilwatda urged aspirants to see themselves as ambassadors of the party whose conduct before, during and after the primaries would reflect the values and discipline of the APC.

He also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and ensure the success of the party’s internal processes.

The APC chairman said Tinubu had continued to invest political goodwill and leadership capacity in building a stronger and more united party capable of delivering sustainable development.

He advised party members and stakeholders to align with the President’s vision and avoid actions capable of creating division or overheating the polity. (The Guardian)