Mounting debate within the ruling All Progressives Congress over internal democracy and candidate selection ahead of the 2027 general elections has deepened, following the opposition of the party’s North-Central forum to proposals requiring sitting governors seeking second terms to participate in primary elections.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central APC Forum described incumbent governors as the party’s “biggest assets,” arguing that subjecting them to primaries would be inappropriate and potentially destabilising. The position directly counters recent remarks attributed to the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, who was quoted as stating that there would be no automatic tickets for governors and other officeholders pursuing re-election.
The forum maintained that Nigeria’s democratic experience since 1999 has largely followed a tradition in which sitting presidents and governors seeking second terms secured their party nominations without opposition. It warned that reversing this pattern could weaken party cohesion and create openings for rival political parties during the general election cycle.
“It will amount to serious disrespect to the Office of the Governor. The biggest assets the party has are the President and the state governors. Allowing anyone to contest against them in primaries is not only disrespectful but also undermines the well-being of the party,” the statement read.
Citing precedents within the APC, the forum recalled that in 2019 no aspirant contested the party’s presidential primary against the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, while returning APC governors similarly secured their tickets unopposed. It questioned the rationale for altering that practice ahead of the 2027 polls.
“We are calling on the National Executive Committee of the APC to urgently reconsider this idea. It will create disunity and crisis in the party because some people will come out just to cause confusion,” the statement added.
Beyond internal cohesion, the forum also raised concerns about potential strategic interference by opposition forces. According to the group, opening governorship tickets to primary contests where incumbents are seeking re-election could enable rival parties to sponsor disruptive candidacies capable of weakening APC governors before the general elections.
“Allowing party members to challenge a sitting governor in a primary election could destabilise the party, create bad blood and division, and present opportunities for the opposition. We are totally against such a plan,” the statement said.
However, the forum clarified that it supports the conduct of primaries in states where governors have completed their constitutionally permitted tenure and new candidates must emerge.
“In situations where a governor has rounded off his term and a new administration is coming in, a primary election is necessary, but not when a governor is going for a second term,” it stated.
The dispute also extends to control of party structures at the state level ahead of anticipated congresses. A former APC Deputy National Chairman, Yekini Nabena, had warned that handing over party structures from ward to state levels to incumbent governors could alienate grassroots members and weaken internal participation.
Rejecting that view, the North-Central APC Forum insisted that governors remain the natural leaders of the party within their states and should retain organisational control.
“The governors are the leaders of the party in every state, and the structure of the party rests with them. Any decision that alters the status quo will only lead to anarchy because the governors will resist it, and the result will be crisis,” the statement added.
