One after the other, All Progressives Congress (APC) governors seeking a fresh mandate in next year’s election, yesterday submitted themselves for screening by a party committee set up for that purpose.
The committee led by APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda interviewed the governors and vetted documents attached to their nomination forms.
It was the first day of the screening exercise for the party’s governorship and national assembly aspirants, reports The Nation.
The screening runs through Sunday according to the timetable released by the party.
Those who faced the screening committee yesterday included Governors Bassey Otu (Cross River) Dauda Lawal (Zamafara), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto), Uba Sani (Kaduna), Umar Mohammed Bago (Niger) Umar Radda (Katsina), Umar Nnamadi (Jigawa), Abba Yusuf (Kano), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Rev. Father Hyacinth Alia (Benue) and Nasir Idris (Kebbi).
Governors Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa) and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) all of whom are seeking to become senators also turned up for screening yesterday.
They are currently in the last year of their second term as governors.
Governor Abiodun confirmed his appearance before the screening committee yesterday.
“Today, we successfully appeared before the National Working Committee (NWC) Screening Committee of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (@OfficialAPCNg), as part of the screening process for the Ogun East Senatorial District seat,” he said on his X account @DapoAbiodunCON.
Other governorship aspirants are expected to appear before the committee today.
Of the 17 first-term APC governors, 13 are set to return unopposed, effectively turning their May 21 primaries into affirmation exercises.
Among them are Umo Bassey Eno (Akwa Ibom), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Sherif Oborevwori (Delta), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Umar Namadi (Jigawa) and Uba Sani (Kaduna).
The rest are: Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano), Dikko Umaru Radda (Katsina), Nasir Idris (Kebbi) Umar Mohammed Bago (Niger), Ahmad Aliyu (Sokoto) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara).
In contrast, first-term governors like Benue’s Hyacinth Alia has two challengers to contend with while Rivers State Governor Siminalaye Fubara will test his popularity against the 2023 APC candidate, Sir. Tonye Cole and former Commissioner for Works in the state, Alabo George-Kelly.
Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang will face one challenger and Taraba State Governor Abu Kefas three other aspirants.
Records at the APC nomination form Collection/Submission secretariat showed that the competition for the governorship ticket is fiercest in Kwara State, which boasts of 15 aspirants jostling for the ticket.
Other high-interest states are: Adamawa with eight aspirants, Oyo and Yobe six aspirants each, Bauchi and Nasarawa five aspirants each, Abia and Taraba states four aspirants each, Gombe and Lagos three aspirants each while Borno and Ogun have two aspirants each.
At the close of sales and submission of nomination forms,84 aspirants bought forms for the governorship tickets in 28 states.
Some stakeholders are pushing for consensus in picking candidates but this has not gone down well with party members in many of the states, sparking protests.
Yobe gov. aspirants kick over Wali
Six of the APC governorship aspirants in Yobe have raised objection to the endorsement of former Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Baba Mallam Wali, as the party’s consensus candidate.
The six aspirants who met in Abuja under the aegis of the “G-6,” insisted that only a transparent, credible, and fair primary election would be acceptable in determining the party’s flag bearer.
Senator Ibrahim Mohammed Bomai of Yobe South, Bashir Sheriff Machina, former Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Kashim Musa Tumsah, former board member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja, former Director-General of NEMA, Lawan Kolo Geidam, former Mandate Secretary for Youth and Sports in the FCT, and former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Alkali Baba described the alleged adoption of Baba Wali as a direct violation of both the Electoral Act and the constitution of the APC.
The group maintained that the legal provisions governing consensus candidacy were neither followed nor respected, stressing that any attempt to impose a candidate without broad consultation and due process would undermine internal democracy within the party.
“The relevant provisions of the Electoral Act relating to consensus arrangements must be strictly adhered to,” they said in a communiqué.
They argued that if consensus remained an option, it must comply fully with the procedures outlined in the law and the party’s constitution.
The G-6 also passed a vote of no confidence on the State APC Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Gadaka, accusing him of bias and compromise in the management of the party’s internal affairs.
The group demanded his immediate withdrawal from all activities relating to the conduct and supervision of the APC governorship primaries in the state, arguing that confidence in the process could only be restored through neutrality and transparency.
The aspirants, however, reaffirmed their loyalty to the National leadership of the APC and pledged support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
Lawyer in court to seek Wadada’s disqualification
The controversy trailing Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule’s endorsement of Senator Ahmed Aliyu Wadada as his preferred successor took a twist yesterday after a legal practitioner Tari Trochon began a process for the disqualification of the senator from the APC governorship contest.
Trochon is praying a Federal High Court Abuja to restrain Wadada from being screened by the APC for the primaries in Nasarawa State and to restrain Wadada from attending the Abuja screening of APC aspirants over alleged dual membership of APC and the Social Democratic party (SDP).
The plaintiff wants a declaration that the Wadada cannot validly and legally maintain membership rights, privileges and political benefits in two political parties simultaneously, especially in the manner done by the 1st defendant in resigning from the SDP on 20th August 2025 and officially announced on the floor of the Senate on the 22nd April 2026
He alleged that Wadada joined APC in October 2025, but still continued to occupy and exercise the office of the Chairman of the Senate Public Accounts committee conventionally reserved for opposition minority parties in the Senate. No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Adamawa APC rejects consensus, opts for primary
The Adamawa State chapter of the APC which initially appeared to favour consensus is now moving towards adopting primary election to pick its candidates.
Party sources said National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu who was the leader of the party in the state conceded the position to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri soon after defecting from the PDP a few weeks ago.
It was gathered that Fintiti, in turn, agreed that the APC governorship candidate would come from the camp of Ribadu.
However, Fintiri, according to sources, does not want Ribadu’s choice of Ahmed Tijani Galadima.
He is now seeking a primary election to determine who will fly the party’s flag in the state.
Other governorship aspirants including former House of Representatives member Abdulrazak Namdas, Adamawa Central Senator Aminu Iya Abbas, Abdulrahman Haske and Salihi Gireiare are also said to be rooting for primary.
Barring last minute change, immediate past Power Minister, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, will on Tuesday, officially declare his interest in the Oyo State governorship race on the platform of the APC.
Expected at the event are APC chieftains from within and outside the state, prominent personalities, political stakeholders, associates, friends, members, party supporters, among others.
Others in the contest for the governorship ticket are Senator Sharafadeen Alli, Barr. Akeem Agbaje, Akeem Alao (Allow Alao), Dr Adewale Kolapo Kareem (AKK), former deputy governor Rauf Olaniyan, Muyiwa Gbadegeshin among others.
Adelabu last Tuesday met with APC state executives at the Oke-Ado party secretariat to brief them on his intention to contest for governor.
Oyegun buys ADC presidential nomination form for Amaechi
Former Edo State Governor, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has obtained the Presidential Nomination Form of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) on behalf of former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.
Chief Odigie-Oyegun was accompanied by prominent political stakeholders.
The former Edo State governor had earlier endorsed Amaechi for the ADC ticket.
Hayatu-Deen too
Also in the race for the ADC presidential ticket is frontline economist Mohammed Hayatu-Deen.
Hayatu-Deen who personally went to the Abuja National Secretariat of the party to buy his nomination form was the first presidential aspirant to pick up the form.
He pledged to give priority to national security if elected as president.
He described insecurity as one of the biggest threats to Nigeria’s future, warning that no country can prosper when farmers cannot safely access their farms, businesses, operate under fear, and investors lack confidence in the system.
APC constitutes consensus committee to resolve Niger East senatorial rift
The Niger State chapter of APC has inaugurated a committee to mediate between incumbent Senator Mohammed Sani Musa and his challenger Barrister Bello Bawa Bwari for the Niger East Senatorial District ticket.
The committee headed by Honorable Adamu Idris Kuta is tasked with the responsibility of engaging the two aspirants and relevant stakeholders to foster understanding and secure a peaceful resolution, preferably through mutual agreement that allows one aspirant to step down in the interest of party unity.
Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, popularly known as 313 has represented Niger East since 2019. He is a technocrat who has built a significant profile through legislative work and constituency projects. Supporters have launched movements advocating for his return for a third term, citing his performance.
Barrister Bello Bawa Bwari who currently serves as Director-General of the National Biosafety Management Agency is being backed by youth coalitions, particularly from the Suleja Emirate area, which has argued for rotation of the senatorial seat after decades of representation by the Minna Emirate axis.
The move comes amid broader efforts by the Niger State APC, under Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s leadership, to adopt consensus arrangements for candidate selection where possible, as a way of ensuring unity and avoiding divisive primaries.
APC warns Imo aspirants against unauthorized meetings ahead of 2026 primaries
The leadership of the APC in Imo State has warned all aspirants seeking elective positions on the platform of the party to strictly adhere to the revised timetable released by the National Working Committee (NWC).
The State Publicity Secretary, Onwuasoanya FCC Jones, said in a statement that the screening of aspirants would commence as scheduled unless otherwise directed by the national leadership.
The party urged aspirants who have purchased their Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms to ensure that their credentials are “clean and verifiable,” their financial records updated and their party membership properly revalidated.
The statement further cautioned aspirants to confirm that only “active members” of the party stand as their sponsors during the screening process.
The APC also banned unauthorized political meetings and gatherings across the state, stressing that no party caucus, senatorial district, local government or ward meeting should hold without the express approval of the State Working Committee through official communication channels.
“The party shall only be guided by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, the party’s Constitution and Guidelines for the Conduct of Primaries in nominating candidates for the various constituencies,” the statement read.
It added that the party would not be bound by “group decisions, endorsements or rotational arrangements” except those approved by the party leadership.
I’ll Defeat Senator Eze in any primary election — Chris Usulor
An APC chieftain, Mr. Chris Usulor, has declared that he possesses the required political strength and grassroots support to win the party’s primary election for Ebonyi Central Senatorial District, regardless of the calibre of his opponents.
The former three-time member of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly told reporters in Abakaliki that he enjoys widespread support across the senatorial zone and would comfortably defeat any aspirant in a free and fair primary election.
Usulor was reacting to the recent consensus arrangement championed by Governor Francis Nwifuru, which endorsed the incumbent senator, Ken Eze, as the APC candidate for the 2027 senatorial election.
Although he insisted that Senator Eze is “not a political match” for him, Usulor said he would respect the decision of the governor and the party in the interest of unity.
He noted that the senator remained politically fortunate because the governor had decided to support the return of all National Assembly members from the state.
“Ken Eze is easily the least popular candidate among all the aspirants for that position despite being the incumbent,” Usulor said.
Direct primary, most democratic option in candidate selection, says Ex-Delta lawmaker
A former member of the House of Representatives Ossai Nicholas Ossai has applauded the National Working Committee of the APC for adopting direct primaries for the selection of candidates for the 2027 general elections, describing it as the best option.
Ossai who represented Ndokwa/Ukwani federal constituency in the House from 2013 to 2023 described direct primary as the best in any democratic practice as it allows for the participation of all members of the party in the selection process of candidates for election.
The former member who is seeking a return to the green chamber said there is special joy when the entire members of a party endorse a candidate for an election because of the participatory nature in a democracy.
He said “Consensus was legislated by the 10th Assembly. I think they have a good reason for legislating for a consensus arrangement. Consensus can be built when a family in a political party believes they should give this a chance to allow one of us to go.”
