BY OUR REPORTERS
As the All Progressives Congress prepares for Thursday’s governorship primaries across 28 states, internal tensions have escalated in no fewer than 10 states, with several aspirants rejecting consensus arrangements and insisting on open contests for the party’s tickets ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The growing resistance is coming despite intense efforts by party leaders, governors and stakeholders to streamline the primaries through endorsements and consensus agreements aimed at preventing divisive intra-party battles.
Investigations revealed that while some incumbent governors have successfully secured automatic backing for second-term tickets, succession struggles and power contests have continued to unsettle party structures in states such as Kwara, Gombe, Oyo, Adamawa, Bauchi, Plateau, Lagos, Nasarawa, Rivers and Yobe.
The APC had pegged its governorship expression of interest form at N10 million and nomination form at N40 million. The party reportedly generated over N5 billion from the sale of forms to 101 governorship aspirants nationwide.
The ruling party is expected to conduct governorship primaries on Thursday, May 21, with direct primaries to be adopted in states where consensus negotiations fail. Appeals arising from the exercises are scheduled for May 24.
Consensus Gains Momentum in Some States
Despite the emerging cracks, at least 11 governors and sole aspirants have secured overwhelming support from party structures in their respective states.
Those who emerged as consensus candidates include Sheriff Oborevwori, Abba Yusuf, Peter Mbah, Umar Namadi, Dikko Radda, Nasir Idris, Ahmed Aliyu, Dauda Lawal, Mohammed Umar Bago, Umo Eno and Ogbonna Nwifuru.
Party leaders in those states described the consensus arrangements as strategic moves aimed at preserving unity and preventing post-primary crises.
In Sokoto State, APC stalwart Abubakar Umar disclosed that party members had unanimously resolved to back Governor Ahmed Aliyu for a second term, insisting there was no opposition to his candidacy within the party.
A similar position was adopted in Kebbi and Jigawa states, where party stakeholders affirmed support for Governors Nasir Idris and Umar Namadi respectively.
Kwara Emerges Major Battleground
Kwara State, however, has become one of the fiercest battlegrounds ahead of the primaries, with no fewer than 15 aspirants reportedly resisting attempts to rally behind Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s preferred successor, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki.
AbdulRazaq had publicly endorsed Seriki following what he described as extensive consultations with party leaders and stakeholders across the state.
The governor described Seriki as “young, pro-people, astute and broad-minded,” while urging party members to support his emergence for the sake of cohesion and continuity.
The endorsement immediately triggered support from grassroots leaders, transport unions, local government chairmen and several political blocs across the state.
Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Salihu Yakubu-Danladi, as well as NILD Director-General Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, reportedly stepped down from the race and pledged support for Seriki.
However, party insiders disclosed that several aspirants remained adamant and were determined to participate in Thursday’s direct primary election.
A senior APC official in Ilorin, who spoke anonymously, stated that many aspirants believed the governorship ticket should be determined democratically rather than through predetermined arrangements.
Kwara currently has the highest number of governorship aspirants within the APC, including former Senate Leader Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Muhammed Belgore (SAN), Salihu Mustapha, Yetunde Bello and Prof. Olawale Sulaiman.
Oyo, Adamawa, Bauchi Record Intense Contest
Oyo State followed closely with 11 governorship aspirants, including former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, Akeem Agbaje and Dr. Muyiwa Gbadegesin.
In Adamawa State, 10 aspirants are battling for the APC ticket, among them Abdulrazak Namdas, Mustapha Salihu, Senator Aminu Abbas and Abdurahaman Haske.
Bauchi State also recorded eight aspirants, including former Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar, Senator Shehu Buba Umar and former governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar.
Party sources attributed the large number of aspirants in several states to unresolved zoning disputes, succession calculations and dissatisfaction over alleged imposition of candidates.
Plateau Aspirant Rejects Withdrawal Rumours
In Plateau State, retired military officer Yilcini Bida dismissed claims that he had stepped down for Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
Bida maintained that he remained fully in the race and expressed confidence in defeating the incumbent governor during the primary election.
He promised to prioritise infrastructure renewal, economic development and security reforms if elected, including strengthening the state-owned security outfit, Operation Rainbow.
Lagos Succession Politics Intensify
Political realignments also intensified in Lagos State as more aspirants aligned behind Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat.
Governorship aspirant Samuel Ajose formally withdrew from the race and declared support for Hamzat, describing the decision as necessary for party unity.
Former PDP governorship candidate Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, had earlier stepped down and endorsed Hamzat after consultations with APC leaders and following what he described as the endorsement of Hamzat by President Bola Tinubu.
However, businessman and politician Lanre Jim-Kamal has reportedly refused to withdraw from the race and remains in contention for the APC governorship ticket.
Analysts Warn of Internal Divisions.
An APC list obtained by party insiders showed that states such as Akwa Ibom, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, Ogun and Zamfara recorded only one governorship aspirant, reflecting stronger consensus structures.
Political analysts within the party warned that the varying developments across states exposed the APC’s growing challenge of balancing internal democracy with political stability ahead of the 2027 elections.
A source at the party’s national secretariat admitted that while consensus remained the leadership’s preferred strategy to reduce conflict and litigation, many aspirants believed they had invested too much politically and financially to abandon their ambitions.
According to the source, the refusal of several aspirants to step down could trigger fierce contests and deepen internal divisions in the ruling party if not carefully managed.
