The All Progressives Congress (APC) is intensifying internal coordination through private consultations, revised primary schedules, and strategic redeployment of governors ahead of the 2027 general elections. President Bola Tinubu held a closed-door meeting with APC governors at the State House in Abuja on Wednesday. The meeting, initially scheduled for 4:00 p.m. at the Council Chamber, began around 5:00 p.m. after being moved to the President's Office Conference Room.
Governors in attendance included Hope Uzodimma, Chairman of the Progressive Governors' Forum, along with Inuwa Yahaya, Babagana Zulum, Hyacinth Alia, Biodun Oyebanji, Peter Mbah, and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq. Some states were represented by their deputy governors. The agenda of the meeting was not officially disclosed, but sources indicate it may be linked to ongoing political consultations ahead of electoral processes. This meeting came less than 24 hours after Tinubu met with Senate leadership in another emergency closed-door session.
APC dismisses claims of restricted nomination forms
The APC has dismissed allegations that it plans to restrict the sale of nomination forms to a select group of aspirants. Speaking after the party's 186th National Working Committee meeting, Deputy National Publicity Secretary Durosinmi Meseko said all qualified members would have equal access to the forms. He described claims of hoarding forms as "baseless rumours" and added that the party had approved a revised timetable in line with existing laws and the schedule of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
"Nomination forms for all aspirants seeking offices under the APC are open. There is no restriction whatsoever. Every qualified member of the party is free to obtain forms and participate in the process," Meseko stated. He was joined at the briefing by the party's National Leader of Persons With Disabilities, Tolu Bankole.
Revised primary timetable
The APC adjusted key dates in its schedule, shifting the presidential primary election from May 15 and 16 to May 23, 2026. Governorship primaries will now be held on May 21, 2026. Meseko said the changes reflect a revised timetable aligned with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the Electoral Act 2026, and INEC's schedule for the 2027 polls. Some processes, including the screening of aspirants and consideration of appeals, have been rescheduled.
According to the timetable, sale of nomination forms will run from Saturday, April 25 to Saturday, May 2, 2026, while submission of completed forms will close on Monday, May 4, 2026. Screening of aspirants for State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, and governorship positions is scheduled for May 6 to May 8, 2026, with presidential screening fixed for May 9. Publication of screening results will follow on May 11, while appeals will be heard from May 12 to May 13.
Primary elections will begin with the House of Representatives on May 15, followed by the Senate on May 18 and the State House of Assembly on May 20. Governorship primaries are set for May 21, while the presidential primary will be held on May 23, 2026. Post-primary appeals are scheduled between May 18 and May 25, depending on the category of election.
Meseko also announced a timetable for ward, local government, and state congresses in Zamfara State, beginning April 28, 2026. Screening of ward executive aspirants will take place on April 29, followed by ward congresses on April 30, while appeals arising from the processes will be handled between May 1 and May 3. He added that the party has adopted both direct and consensus modes of primaries, as provided in the Electoral Act, allowing members to choose their preferred method.
Tinubu urges second-term governors to contest Senate seats
In a strategic move to prevent betrayal and maintain loyalty, President Tinubu is reportedly urging state governors serving their second and final terms to contest Senate seats in their constituencies during the upcoming general election. According to an impeccable source, this move aims to ensure that these governors work collectively for the APC's success in the January 16, 2027, poll. The presidential election is scheduled for the same date as the National Assembly polls.
One outgoing governor confided that he did not initially see himself aspiring to the Senate after eight years as governor, but noted that "in party politics, certain things cannot be helped and you have to obey your leader." He dismissed insinuations that the overall intent was to pool resources, stressing that the idea is to make governors active during electioneering and in the election itself. "A lot of things are involved during elections. Although I have never contested in a presidential election, I know that, just as in the governorship, if you are involved in the election, you cannot be everywhere. So, our leader wants it to be a collective responsibility for the party to win and win well," he stated.
Out of the 19 northern states, only four governors will complete their full constitutional terms by May 2027. None of the governors in the North West is in a second term, while two are in the North Central states of Kwara and Nasarawa. Only three of the four second-term governors in the North East are in the APC. In Bauchi State, the outgoing governor is grappling with whether to remain in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while his colleagues in Adamawa, Borno, Gombe, and Yobe are stalwarts of the ruling party.
If the presidential directive is implemented, the emerging scenario in Gombe would pit former governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who is seeking a second term in the Senate, against the Chairman of the North East Governors' Forum, Inuwa Yahaya, who hails from the same Gombe North Senatorial Area. During the 2015 Buhari tsunami that swept away most governors in their second-term races, Dankwambo survived but failed to return his preferred candidate, Senator Usman Nafada, as successor. PDP chieftains alleged that Dankwambo sidelined Sardauna Gombe, Dr Jamil Isyaku Gwamna, who was the party's popular choice, to create a senatorial vacancy for himself. In the lead-up to the 2027 poll, Governor Yahaya, who is serving out his second term, could support Gwamna from the Gombe South Senatorial District for the governorship contest while contesting the Gombe North Senatorial seat to battle Dankwambo and ensure the APC retains the state.
This development explains the current disagreement between Governor Dapo Abiodun and Senator Gbenga Daniel over the Ogun East Senatorial ticket of the APC, even though it was the outgoing governor who rehabilitated OGD politically with the Senate seat after his estrangement from former governor Ibikunle Amosun.
