A power struggle has emerged within the All Progressives Congress over the selection of candidates for National Assembly seats ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The development comes amid reports that President Bola Tinubu has set up a high-level committee to engage governors and protect the interests of serving lawmakers seeking return tickets on the platform of the party.
The committee is said to include the APC National Chairman, the President’s Chief of Staff, the Special Adviser on Political Affairs and other party strategists.
However, the process has reportedly been complicated by the influence of governors, who control party structures and congresses in their respective states.
The situation has triggered concerns over allegations of manipulated processes and raised questions about whether the APC National Working Committee or state party structures have the final authority to determine candidates.
Meanwhile, a group, Transparency and Intelligence Watch, has warned against any attempt to impose National Assembly members who failed to secure tickets during the party’s primaries.
Addressing a press conference in Akure, the group’s President, Joel Adelakin, and Secretary, Margaret Ikechukwu, urged the party leadership to respect the outcome of the primaries.
They argued that granting tickets to aspirants who lost at the polls would undermine internal democracy and disregard the wishes of party members.
The group claimed that dozens of incumbent lawmakers seeking re-election were unable to secure return tickets during the primaries conducted last month.
It warned that reversing the outcome of the exercise could trigger dissatisfaction among party members and affect the APC’s electoral fortunes in 2027.
The group also called on President Tinubu to respect the outcome of the primaries in Ondo State and avoid actions that could generate internal divisions within the party.
In a related development, Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma appealed to aggrieved aspirants to accept the outcome of the primaries and remain committed to the party.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting in Owerri, Uzodimma urged party members to place collective interest above personal ambitions.
He said politics was about service and sacrifice, stressing that every contest would naturally produce winners and losers.
The governor congratulated newly elected party officials and candidates, describing the congresses and primaries as successful exercises that had strengthened the APC ahead of future elections.
