North-Central APC rejects primaries for second-term governors

By Lawrence Agbo

The North-Central All Progressives Congress Forum rejected ideas for primary elections to be held in 2027 for incumbent governors running for a second term.

The forum said in a statement released on Thursday, which was signed by its chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, that governors are the party’s “biggest assets” and that it would be improper to put them through primaries.

In a recent statement, APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda stated that governors and other officeholders running for reelection will not receive automatic tickets.

However, the forum pointed out that since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, governors and presidents running for reelection have routinely won party tickets without facing any opposition.

In response to Yilwatda’s argument, the forum cautioned that forcing governors to participate in primaries might cause the APC to become unstable and give the opposition more opportunities in the general election.

“It will amount to serious disrespect to the Office of the Governor. The biggest assets the party has are the President and the state governors. Allowing anyone to contest against them in primaries is not only disrespectful but also undermines the well-being of the party,” the statement said.

Citing previous precedent, the forum urged that governors running for a second term be granted the party’s ticket without opposition in the 2027 elections.

“We recall that in 2019, nobody contested the APC primary with the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, and returning APC governors also went unopposed. Why should that change now?” the statement asked.

Furthermore, it warned about the consequences of releasing gubernatorial tickets where there are incumbent governors.

“We are calling on the National Executive Committee of the APC to urgently reconsider this idea. It will create disunity and crisis in the party because some people will come out just to cause confusion,” the statement said.

The forum added that opposition parties may plant candidates in the APC primary in an effort to undermine incumbents and harm the party’s prospects in the general election.

“Allowing party members to challenge a sitting governor in a primary election could destabilise the party, create bad blood and division, and present opportunities for the opposition. We are totally against such a plan,” the statement said.

But the forum made it clear that states where a governor has served out his term should have primaries.

“In situations where a governor has rounded off his term and a new administration is coming in, a primary election is necessary, but not when a governor is going for a second term,” it stated.

The forum also rejected requests for the National Working Committee to delay national congresses by giving incumbent governors control of state party structures.

Former APC Deputy National Chairman Yekini Nabena had cautioned that giving governors control over structures at the state level would alienate party members and erode support at the local level. But the North-Central APC Forum disagreed with the claim that governors are already the leaders of the party in their states.

“The governors are the leaders of the party in every state, and the structure of the party rests with them,” the statement said.

“Any decision that alters the status quo will only lead to anarchy because the governors will resist it, and the result will be crisis,” it added.

Ahead of the general elections in 2027, the forum urged the APC leadership to refrain from conduct that could cause the party to become unstable.