YIAGA Africa’s Samson Itodo highlights problems with consensus in the 2027 election

Samson Itodo, Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, has clarified that the issue lies not in using consensus to select candidates, but in how the process is carried out.

Several political parties, including the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), are currently grappling with internal disputes over implementing the consensus method required by Section 85 of the Electoral Act 2026.

Some aspirants claim they were excluded from the decision when their parties announced a preferred candidate, and they are demanding primary elections instead.

Speaking to Arise News on Friday evening, Itodo said, “The problem isn’t consensus itself; the problem is the philosophy and the way it is implemented.”

“You can see in the lead‑up to the primaries what I call organized theft. It suppresses the political aspirations of many and concentrates power in the hands of a few who decide for the majority of party members.”

“This is not democratic in every respect. Remember that before the 2022 Electoral Act, there were only two modes of candidate nomination: direct and indirect primaries.”

“In this case, the late President Buhari pressured the National Assembly to introduce consensus, simply to legitimize a process that had already existed within political parties.”

“When you look at the overall picture, you see that the implementation suppresses aspirants’ ambitions and limits contestation, which is problematic because it results in imposed candidates rather than genuine consensus.”

“I also argued that there are situations where consensus is acceptable, when every member of a party endorses it. That is why the Electoral Act allows for a special convention to ratify the consensus.”