Controversies continued to trail the ongoing All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries as fresh allegations of imposition, manipulation, phantom voting and parallel results emerged from several states. That is despite assurances by the party leadership that the exercise remained peaceful and rancour-free.
From Delta to Adamawa, Kwara, Abia, Gombe, Zamfara, Nasarawa and Oyo states, aggrieved aspirants and party stakeholders accused powerful interests within the ruling party of hijacking the process and undermining internal democracy.
The controversy comes even as APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, after meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos, insisted that the primaries had largely been peaceful and successful across the country.
Yilwatda maintained that the party’s internal mechanism was functioning effectively, saying most of the disputes arose from the intensity of political competition.
“We have conducted rancour-free primaries in most states and where there are disagreements, the party has established appeal mechanisms to address them,” he reportedly said after briefing the President.
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, had also defended the process during an interview on Arise News, insisting that the National Working Committee (NWC) remained the only entity constitutionally empowered to manage and supervise APC primaries.
However, events across the country appeared to contradict the leadership’s assurances. In Abia State, the crisis took another dimension after a majority of members of the APC State Working Committee (SWC) adopted former Minister of State for Science and Technology, Chief Henry Ikechukwu Ikoh, as the party’s consensus governorship candidate ahead of the governorship primary election.
The endorsement followed the withdrawal of Mascot Uzor Kalu from the race, with the SWC insisting that Ikoh had become the only recognised aspirant. State Organising Secretary, Hon. Emeka Okorafor, described another aspirant in the contest, Eric Opah, as a “strange candidate” unknown to the party structure.
“We exercised our democratic rights to adopt him as our sole aspirant,” he said. However, the adopted consensus candidate failed to emerge as the party’s governorship flagbearer, as Eric Opah eventually clinched the ticket.
Party sources alleged that Opah’s emergence was influenced by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.
The development has since reignited debates over whether consensus arrangements within the APC are genuine reconciliatory mechanisms or carefully orchestrated impositions.
In Delta State, tensions heightened after disputed Senate primary results produced landslide figures many aspirants described as unbelievable.
Former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, rejected the declaration of Senator Ede Dafinone as winner of the Delta Central senatorial primary election, insisting that the announced figures did not reflect the actual votes cast.
Similarly, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s overwhelming victory over Senator Ned Nwoko in Delta North generated controversy among party stakeholders, who questioned the authenticity of the figures announced.
In Adamawa State, protests erupted in Numan as aggrieved aspirants and party supporters rejected what they described as the imposition of a preferred candidate for the Demsa, Numan and Lamurde Federal Constituency seat.
Placard-carrying protesters demanded transparent primaries and warned against allowing powerful interests to subvert the wishes of party members.
An APC stalwart from Yola North, Yola South and Girei Federal Constituency, Ahmadu Hamman Nasara, described the exercise as, “the end of democracy in Nigeria,” accusing party officials of merely implementing predetermined outcomes.
Kwara State also witnessed confusion after the APC abruptly halted its governorship primary election midway into the exercise, despite voting already commencing in several wards.
The sudden postponement created uncertainty among party members and aspirants, with critics accusing the leadership of manipulating the process to favour preferred contenders.
The controversy followed an earlier reversal by the party which cleared all 159 State House of Assembly aspirants after initially disqualifying more than half of them.
The crisis in Kwara deepened further after Senatorial aspirant, Engr. Oluwasola Ajimati, rejected the outcome of the Kwara South Senatorial primary election, alleging irregularities and manipulation of the process. Ajimati’s supporters staged protests, insisting that the results announced did not reflect the will of party members at the grassroots.
In Gombe State, allegations of “invisible elections” continued to dominate political discussions after aspirants claimed results were announced in constituencies where no voting allegedly took place.
An aspirant for the Balanga/Billiri Federal Constituency seat, Alfred John Attajiri, alleged that no accreditation or voting occurred before results were declared.
Former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, also withdrew from the governorship race, citing alleged violations of the Electoral Act and lack of transparency in the process.
In Zamfara State, former governorship aspirant, Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi, also raised concerns over the conduct of the APC primaries, accusing party officials of manipulating the process and sidelining genuine party members. He warned that the continued imposition of candidates could weaken the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The controversy extended to Nasarawa State, where former Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, reportedly expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the governorship primary election, alleging irregularities and lack of transparency in the process.
The crisis equally spread to Oyo State, where some aspirants and party stakeholders reportedly complained about alleged interference by influential political figures and manipulation of delegate structures ahead of the primaries.
The growing discontent across states appeared to echo an earlier concern raised by President Tinubu himself when he cautioned governors and party leaders against hijacking party structures.
The President had warned that although governors remained leaders of the party in their respective states, they should not appropriate the party structures entirely to themselves at the expense of fairness and inclusiveness.
“I did not say governors should appropriate everything to themselves,” the President had reportedly cautioned during consultations with party stakeholders ahead of the primaries.
