By Ghazali Ibrahim
The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to conduct its presidential primaries on Saturday across the country’s 8,809 wards as the party moves to select its candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
According to a notice signed by APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, all registered members of the party will be eligible to participate in the exercise, marking a significant shift from the traditional delegate system previously used in presidential nominations.
Under the new arrangement, party members are expected to cast their votes for their preferred presidential aspirant at ward level. The results will be collated at local government areas before being transmitted to state collation centres and subsequently forwarded to the Presidential Primary Election Committee in Abuja.
The primary election, scheduled for May 23, 2026, is expected to be one of the largest internal party voting exercises ever conducted by the APC, involving party structures across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
To oversee the process, the APC has constituted a seven-member Presidential Primary Election Committee headed by former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim. Other members include former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Senator Victor Udo Udoma, Otunba Grace Titi Laoye-Ponle, Rev. Jolly Nyame and former Kogi State Governor Idris Wada, while Sanusi Musa will serve as secretary.
The party also established a Presidential Primary Election Appeal Committee chaired by former Katsina State Governor Aminu Masari. Samuel Piwuna will serve as secretary, while former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Patricia Etteh, is a member.
As part of preparations, the APC deployed 37 coordinators and collation officers across the states and the FCT. The coordinators include several prominent party leaders and office holders such as Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, Cross River State Governor Bassey Otu, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, former Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu and former FCT Senator Phillip Aduda.
The nationwide exercise comes amid expectations that the party will formally endorse President Bola Tinubu for a second term, although party members are expected to vote for their preferred aspirant in accordance with the approved guidelines.
