2027 GENERAL ELECTIONS, APC PRIMARIES: A VOYAGE OF UNCERTAINTY
By: Dawop Plangnan Williams from Jos
Barely one week after the commencement of the ruling All Progressives Congress primary elections for the National and State Assemblies, governorship, and presidential tickets, the entire process has been marred by multiple irregularities, including the imposition of candidates against the will of party members. This is happening in almost all the 36 states of the federation.
Plateau State
- Advertisement -
For instance, in Plateau State, about six aggrieved aspirants for the National Assembly stormed the party secretariat with petitions challenging the outcome of the exercise.
Speaking during the submission of his petition, Senator Diket Plang said: “I am a former councilor, former local government chairman, former commissioner, two-time adviser to governors, and currently a serving senator in the 10th Assembly. I was elected by the people, not a senator who won in court.”
Senator Simon Lalong of the Southern Zone was declared winner of the election after the Court of Appeal nullified the election of the then senator, Napoleon Bali, over PDP’s lack of structure. It is not clear whether Senator Plang was referring to Lalong, who is the only senator that won his primary election among the three from the state.
Other aspirants who also submitted petitions include Ambassador Chris Giwa, Plateau North Senatorial District; Barr. Mrs. C.J. Dakkas, Central Zone; Hon. Ephraim Usman, Central Zone; Gyang Zi, SAN, Northern Zone; and Hon. Komsol Longap, who was a member of the House of Representatives in the 9th Assembly for Shendam, Quan’Pan, and Mikang Federal Constituency.
In one of the petitions sighted by our reporter, emanating from Gyang Zi, SAN and Co. and addressed to the National Chairman of the Party, it read:
The National Chairman,
All Progressives Congress (APC),
No. 40, Blantyre Street, Wuse 2, FCT, Abuja, Nigeria.
Sir,
NOTICE OF DISCONTINUANCE WITH THE PRIMARY ELECTION PROCESS FOR PLATEAU NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT AND TEN BILLION NAIRA DEMAND NOTICE FOR DEFAMATION OF CHARACTER AND DESTABILIZATION OF MY SUPPORTERS
The above refers.
I am a senatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2026 exercise, preparatory to the 2027 general election, having duly paid for my nomination and expression of interest forms to participate in the primary election, which commenced on 18th May 2026. I have also complied with all requirements for the said position.
To my chagrin and dismay, my attention was drawn to a widely circulated publication on 18th May 2026, at the commencement of the primary election, from social media, particularly the official Twitter handle of the APC, listing me as number 32 among the aspirants “not cleared” or disqualified from participating in the primary election, without giving any reason.
To start with, I am a reputable legal practitioner and SAN with vast educational, professional, and leadership experience.
Gyang was among the 48 aspirants for National Assembly positions disqualified by the party on 18th May 2026, the same day the senatorial primary election was taking place. The party subsequently cleared four of the aspirants, including Gyang Zi, Ben Bruce, Napoleon Bali, and Ephraim Usman.
Other States
In Benue State, the governor and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, continued with their lingering political rift. There are allegations and counter-allegations from both camps accusing each other.
Another state to watch is Rivers State. The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, a staunch loyalist of the FCT Minister, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, along with others, was cleared and declared winner of the primary election to contest for the National Assembly, while those loyal to Governor Sim Fubara were not cleared, including the former deputy governor during the administration of Nyesom Wike.
A day before the governorship primary election, Governor Siminalayi Fubara announced his withdrawal from the APC governorship primary in the state. In a statement personally signed by him on Wednesday, he said that although the decision was difficult, he remained committed to supporting whoever would emerge as the candidate. According to him, leadership demands sacrifice and personal ambition must sometimes give way to the collective interest of the people.
Aside from the governor’s withdrawal, all other aspirants contesting for the governorship position also withdrew from the race, paving the way for the only remaining aspirant, the current minority leader of the House of Representatives, Kingsley Chinda, who is a loyalist of the FCT Minister.
In Bauchi and Gombe states, the senator representing Bauchi South, Senator Shehu Buba, and the former Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Prof. Ali Pantami, have withdrawn from the governorship contest, citing irregularities in the process.
Wider Concerns
The scenario is not different in other states of the federation, where aggrieved aspirants and supporters are voicing frustration over alleged rigging and marginalization. In some leaked memos, some aspirants were already anointed, endorsed, and adopted prior to the primary elections by government officials or party bigwigs.
Internal democracy is sine qua non to the entrenchment of good governance and stability. With the current atmosphere in the ruling APC, it is uncertain whether the party will disintegrate like the PDP, given the myriad of internal wrangling similar to those that preceded the 2015 general elections.
The National Chairman of the Party, Prof. Netawe Yilwada, said the party has put in place mechanisms to absorb such disagreements and manage post-primary grievances. But it is not yet over, as the election is still ongoing and many aspirants are not hiding their anger over the way the party shortchanged them.
The voyage embarked upon by the ruling party lacks a clear direction and certainty of victory in the off-cycle governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as the forthcoming 2027 general elections, which are barely eight months away. With the emergence of opposition parties such as the NDC, ADC, APM, PRP, and the Labour Party, among others, which are not leaving any stone unturned to wrest power from the ruling party, all eyes are on the APC to see how it will navigate the internal wrangling and complete the 2027 voyage successfully.
A house divided against itself cannot stand. When two brothers are fighting, a stranger takes away their inheritance. With the 2026 Electoral Act, most aggrieved party members may not defect to other parties to fight from within, and the enemy within is more dangerous than the enemy without.
It is a lesson to other parties that are yet to start their own primary elections to avoid the mistakes of the APC.
All these and more, time shall tell.
(DEMOCRACY NEWSLINE NEWSPAPER, MAY 22ND 2026)
