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From Okwe Obi, Abuja
Winners of the recently concluded primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have raised the alarm over the delayed issuance of Certificates of Return to successful candidates, alleging that the development may be part of a calculated move by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to alter the list of candidates ahead of the 2027 polls.
Investigations revealed that aggrieved aspirants from different states and elective positions accused the party leadership of creating uncertainty within the ranks of the APC, despite the conclusion of the primaries and declaration of winners by various primary election committees.
Some of the aspirants, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the prolonged delay had heightened suspicion among party members, especially following recent remarks allegedly credited to some members of the NWC that the party leadership retained the final authority to determine who eventually emerges as the party’s candidate.
According to them, the situation has generated tension among victorious candidates who fear that the outcome of the primaries could be overturned through administrative decisions at the party’s national secretariat.
One of the declared winners said, “We participated in the primaries in good faith, results were announced by the duly constituted primary committees, and winners emerged. But weeks after the exercise, many of us have yet to receive our Certificates of Return.
“What is more troubling is the statement by some NWC members that the party leadership reserves the right to determine who becomes a candidate, irrespective of who was declared the winner by the chairman of the primary election committee. That statement is dangerous and undemocratic.”
Another aspirant alleged that there were ongoing moves to replace certain candidates who were not favoured by influential figures within the party hierarchy.
The aspirants also pointed out that while many candidates were yet to receive their certificates, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had already been presented with his Certificate of Return by the party following his victory at the APC presidential primary.
They argued that the prompt issuance of the president’s certificate contrasted sharply with the treatment being meted out to other victorious aspirants across the country.
“The president has already received his Certificate of Return, so why are others being delayed? The party should not create the impression that some candidates are more valid than others,” one of them stated.
The development has reportedly triggered consultations among affected aspirants, with some considering legal action should the party fail to recognise the outcomes declared by the various primary election panels.
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Efforts to get an official reaction from the APC national leadership were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. However, party sources insisted that the NWC was still reviewing reports from the primaries and would take final decisions in line with the constitution and guidelines of the party.
The APC had earlier maintained that the National Working Committee possesses the constitutional authority to ratify candidates for submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), regardless of declarations made at the primary election venues.
Sources further alleged that some aspirants were lobbying members of the NWC with huge sums of money in a bid to alter the results obtained at the constituency level.
The sources called on President Tinubu to prevail on members of the NWC not to tamper with the results and to immediately issue Certificates of Return to aspirants who emerged victorious in the primaries.
According to them, any attempt to alter the declared outcomes at the constituency level could trigger a serious internal crisis and spell doom for the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.
Meanwhile, stakeholders of the APC across the federation have also cautioned the party leadership against any purported nullification of consensus and direct primary elections on grounds of what they described as “premature announcement” of results in the states before transmission to the NWC.
In a memorandum addressed to the National Chairman and members of the NWC and signed by Barrister Abdullazeez Mamman on behalf of APC stakeholders nationwide, the group argued that the committees deployed to conduct the primaries acted as agents of the NWC under delegated authority.
The memorandum cited provisions of the Electoral Act 2022, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the APC Constitution, insisting that the law does not empower the NWC to nullify concluded primaries based on premature announcement of results.
The stakeholders maintained that Section 84(14) of the Electoral Act vested exclusive jurisdiction in the Federal High Court to entertain complaints arising from party primaries, stressing that the NWC could not assume the role of an appellate tribunal over elections conducted by its own committees.
They further argued that while the APC Constitution grants administrative powers to the NWC, such powers remain subject to the provisions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act.
The memorandum urged the NWC to uphold and transmit to INEC all results returned by committees deployed to conduct consensus and direct primaries, warning that any contrary action could undermine internal democracy and destabilise the party.
“The ballot is not a proposal. The will of party members expressed through consensus and direct primary elections is not subject to nullification by administrative fiat,” the memorandum stated.
