APC Primaries: We Did Not Nominate a Single Candidate – Yilwatda

National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, said that the party’s primary elections did not involve the imposition of candidates.

Yilwatda made the statement on Arise News on Monday, addressing worries that the APC’s use of consensus politics could lead to internal collapse.

He explained, “Across all 36 states, 29 governors were either returning or new candidates were contesting. Only three governorship seats had consensus candidates.”

“The remaining seats went to direct primaries. There was no imposition; whenever it occurred, the law was allowed to run.” He added, “Where consensus could not be reached, we held direct primaries. We created a consensus form that all aspirants must sign before consensus is declared. That is the first point.”

“Second, some states experienced appeals, which caused us to delay certain elections by two to three days. After appeals alleging foul play, we rescheduled the elections to ensure a fair process. Appeal committees were also established, allowing candidates to challenge the process.”

Yilwatda’s comments come amid significant internal discord over the APC’s primary elections nationwide. DAILY POST reports that controversies have repeatedly centered on alleged candidate imposition, electoral misconduct, violence, and the exclusion of stakeholders.

Moreover, the consensus method has faced strong opposition, with dissatisfied aspirants arguing that it lacks transparency and excludes popular candidates.