The leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress has launched a high-level effort to resolve post-primary disputes in seven strategic states amid fears that lingering grievances could weaken the party’s chances in the 2027 general elections.
With the deadline for the submission of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fast approaching, party leaders are reportedly reviewing the outcomes of primaries conducted in Kwara, Nasarawa, Rivers, Adamawa, Benue, Bauchi and Taraba states.
The intervention follows a wave of petitions from aggrieved aspirants and party stakeholders who have challenged the emergence of several candidates, alleging manipulation, imposition and irregularities during the nomination process.
Sources within the party said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is personally monitoring developments and has directed party leaders to ensure that unresolved disputes do not snowball into major electoral setbacks.
According to party insiders, concerns have grown over the possibility of protest votes, defections and internal sabotage in some states where influential politicians and serving lawmakers failed to secure tickets.
In Benue State, tensions remain high between Governor Hyacinth Alia and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, over the allocation of party tickets despite previous reconciliation efforts brokered by the Presidency.
The situation is also attracting attention in Bauchi, where the emergence of former governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar as the APC governorship candidate has generated discontent among supporters of Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Maitama Tuggar.
In Rivers State, party leaders are studying the implications of recent court decisions affecting the APC’s leadership structure, even as they seek to protect the party from fresh divisions ahead of the election.
Kwara and Nasarawa states are also said to be among the areas generating concern, with unresolved disputes over governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives tickets threatening party cohesion.
To stem the crisis, top APC officials have reportedly relocated temporarily to Abuja for intensive consultations and state-by-state reviews of petitions arising from the primaries.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio has also joined efforts to reconcile aggrieved stakeholders, urging the party leadership to carry elected lawmakers and key stakeholders along in the finalisation of candidates’ lists.
Party sources said the overriding objective is to ensure that candidates eventually submitted to INEC are not only victorious at the primaries but also possess the political strength and grassroots support needed to win the general elections.
With nomination deadlines drawing closer, APC leaders are banking on dialogue, compromise and strategic interventions to restore unity and prevent internal disputes from undermining the party’s 2027 electoral ambitions.