The All Progressives Congress (APC) commenced its House of Representatives primaries on Saturday, marking the start of its 2027 general election nomination process. The exercise was moved from Friday to Saturday following last-minute consultations among party leaders aiming to reduce internal disputes. Protests, collapsed consensus talks and allegations of candidate imposition have created tension in multiple states, including Kano, Taraba, Kaduna, Oyo, Edo, Yobe, Abia and Kwara. President Bola Tinubu issued a statement urging party members to avoid "do-or-die politics" and to demonstrate sportsmanship, warning that internal conflict could benefit opposition parties. "In every contest, there will be a winner and a loser. I urge the winners not to gloat in victory and the losers to show sportsmanship," Tinubu said.

Despite the appeal, consensus arrangements failed in several states. In Kano and Taraba, negotiations broke down in multiple constituencies, leading the party to proceed with direct primaries. In Abia, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu denied reports of automatic ticket allocations, affirming that all candidates would emerge through transparent processes. Oyo saw protests by party members against alleged candidate imposition, while in Edo, several aspirants refused to withdraw in favour of preferred contenders. In contrast, Sokoto and Borno recorded smoother processes, with consensus achieved in most constituencies. The APC has scheduled its presidential primary for May 23, 2026, governorship and state assembly primaries for May 21 and 20 respectively, and senatorial primaries for May 18, 2026.

💡 NaijaBuzz Take

Tinubu calls for sportsmanship while key APC states fracture over candidate imposition, exposing a disconnect between his public stance and party actions. The collapse of consensus in Kano, Taraba, Oyo and Edo suggests that internal negotiations are being driven by pressure rather than agreement. Aspirants in those states face direct primaries not by choice but after resisting withdrawal demands. This undermines claims of a unified, transparent process ahead of 2027.

💡 NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →