APC Primaries: Petitions Arrive as Party Endorses Uzodimma, Fubara, Alli, and Others

—Axe dangles on Adelabu

—Alleged imposition threatens Oyo APC

—Aiyedatiwa bows to pressure, to conduct direct primaries

By Clifford Ndujihe, Politics Editor, Dayo Johnson, Adeola Badru, James Ogunnaike

LAGOS — Thirty governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), including Hope Uzodimma of Imo, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers and former Oyo State Government Secretary Sarafadeen Alli, have been cleared to contest the party’s primaries ahead of the 2027 elections.

Party officials confirmed that a surge of petitions is delaying the release of the screening report.

In line with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) timetable, the APC announced it would publish the names of cleared aspirants on May 13.

According to Vanguard, the party screened 2,980 aspirants for the presidential slot, 28 governorships, 109 Senate seats, 360 House of Representatives seats and 991 state assembly positions.

At the time of writing, the screening report had not yet been released.

When asked about the delay, a senior party leader said, “we are still working on the screening report to make sure everything goes well.” He added that May 13 was not yet over.

He also noted that the party received numerous petitions from the eight panels that conducted the primaries, “for instance, one panel received 10 petitions and the petitions have to be treated on their merit.”

No governor was disqualified

Regarding reports that Rivers State Governor Fubara had been disqualified, the source clarified, “No governor has been booted out. The party has always supported its governors. Some of them like Uzodimma got automatic clearance.”

Consensus as first option

To present a united front at the polls, the APC hierarchy is pursuing consensus where possible; if consensus fails, direct primaries will be held in accordance with the Electoral Act.

“We know some high‑profile aspirants do not want to consent and are ready to go to court. We don’t want that,” the source said.

Another source told Vanguard that former Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu, who is seeking the Oyo State governorship, may not be cleared. Sarafadeen Alli, who has already been cleared, enjoys party support.

In the contest for the Ogun East senatorial ticket between Governor Dapo Abiodun and Senator Gbenga Daniel, the source said the matter remains unresolved and that Daniel has not consented to consensus.

Daniel benefited from same consensus process he now attacks—Ogun govt

The Ogun State government criticised Senator Gbenga Daniel for his recent criticisms of Governor Dapo Abiodun, calling them “the rantings of a drowning politician” and accusing him of demonising the consensus arrangement that helped him win the senatorial seat in 2023.

During his Midterm Assessment and Empowerment Tour in Ijebu Ode, Daniel accused Abiodun of neglecting Ijebuland, failing to secure the Dangote Refinery project, and opposing a naval base in Abigi.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Strategy, Mr. Kayode Akinmade, dismissed the allegations as baseless, politically motivated and symptomatic of a politician whose influence within the APC is waning.

The statement read: “Daniel is simply fighting the same consensus arrangement and party structure that produced him as Senator in 2023. It is shocking that someone who benefited immensely from the collective decision of the party is now demonising the same process simply because it no longer aligns with his personal ambition.”

“The governor ensured a peaceful consensus arrangement that paved the way for Daniel’s emergence as the APC senatorial candidate. It is, therefore, ironic that the same individual now seeks to discredit the party and its leadership merely because he could not have his way politically.”

“Everybody in the state, especially in Ijebuland, appreciates the modest achievements of Governor Dapo Abiodun. Most of the deplorable roads abandoned by previous administrations have now been fixed, while about 29 major road projects have been completed in Ijebu Ode alone.”

“It is interesting that Daniel, who left office in 2011 when the exchange rate hovered between N150 and N170 to a dollar, is now claiming he would have executed more projects with current allocations at a time the dollar exchanges for over N1,370. In his desperation to attack the governor, he ignored basic economic realities.”

The statement further accused Senator Daniel of engaging in anti‑party activities during the 2023 governorship election and other contests in the state.

“The leadership and stakeholders of the APC in Ogun East became uncomfortable with Daniel’s repeated anti‑party activities, including openly supporting opposition elements during the 2023 governorship election and other elections in the state,” it added.

During a recent APC stakeholders’ meeting in Ijebu Ode, Akinmade said, “The party took a collective decision, but he behaves as though he is bigger than the party. When Governor Abiodun was adopted as the consensus candidate for Ogun East, stakeholders from the ward, local government and state levels were all present. So why is he now fighting the same process that once worked in his favour?”

He secured landslide victory, says ex‑gov’s camp

Responding to the state government’s claims, Senator Daniel’s media aide Steve Oliyide said the senator won a landslide victory in the primary that produced him as the district’s senatorial candidate.

Oliyide stated that Daniel went through a delegate‑based primary, contrary to the state government’s description of the exercise as a “consensus arrangement.”

According to Oliyide, the results from the primary held at Itoro Hall showed Daniel received 450 votes out of 496 cast across the nine local government areas of Ogun East. His nearest rival, Lekan Mustapha, received 29 votes, Seyi Oduntan 11 votes and Segun Adesegun six votes.

He added that the detailed voting figures have sparked debate among party members and observers over whether the process was a consensus arrangement or a contested primary.

Alleged imposition threatens Oyo APC

In Oyo State, governorship aspirants have pledged to resist any attempt to impose a candidate ahead of the party’s 2027 governorship primary, insisting that due process, fairness and internal democracy must prevail.

The aspirants, in a communiqué after a high‑level meeting in Ibadan, said they were not opposed to a consensus candidate but insisted that such an arrangement must arise from a transparent, credible and democratic process.

The meeting was attended by former Deputy Governor Rauf Olaniyan, Mr. Akeem Agbaje,