2027 presidency: Why APC opted for open ticket

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has thrown open the contest for its 2027 presidential ticket barely three months after its leadership, including governors, lawmakers and key stakeholders, adopted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the party’s sole candidate. APC National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Suleiman Argungu, disclosed this yesterday while responding to a question from our […]

The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has thrown open the contest for its 2027 presidential ticket barely three months after its leadership, including governors, lawmakers and key stakeholders, adopted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the party’s sole candidate.

APC National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Suleiman Argungu, disclosed this yesterday while responding to a question from our correspondent at a press conference in Abuja.

He said the party would print expression of interest and nomination forms and make them available at a price to anyone intending to contest the ticket against Tinubu.

Party insiders noted that the move mirrors the approach adopted in 2018, when President Muhammadu Buhari, then the incumbent, emerged as the party’s candidate. At the time, the primaries were technically open, but no other aspirant purchased the expression of interest and nomination forms. Buhari’s candidacy therefore went unchallenged before his formal affirmation by delegates at the national convention.

Sources within the APC told Daily Trust that leaving the ticket open for 2027 was designed to give the process a democratic appearance, avoid potential legal disputes and comply with provisions of the Electoral Act.

A member of the APC Constitution Review Committee (2022), Barrister Bashir Maidugu, said the party would not shut anyone out, in line with the law.

“We are in a democracy, and you can’t step down other people’s desire to contest for any office if they are qualified. If they feel they have a chance or they just want to do it, why not? The party will abide by the Electoral Act, and that is what the national organising secretary told you.

“This action is in fulfilment of the Electoral Act, and nothing more is intended.” The Act is clear: you can’t shut out people. The re-election of the president will be based on his ability and performance in office.

“We have stabilised the economy, inflation is under control, and food prices are going down. Things are generally improving. I think we have not done badly. But anybody who feels the endorsement is not in order and decides to contest, so be it,” Maidugu said.

On his part, APC chieftain, Barrister Abdullahi Jalo, said the adoption of Tinubu was a political strategy to show strength and intimidate the opposition.

He said opening the contest was also to avoid legal challenges.

“In a multiparty democracy, you don’t just print one form for a sole candidate and shut out others. They can go to court. A sole candidate adoption is a political manoeuvre; it’s a strategy. In the APC, people interested will still contest against him. If you deny anyone, he can go to court. The party is cleverly handling this,” Jalo said.

But APC National Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said his understanding of the Villa summit was that stakeholders reviewed Tinubu’s performance and passed a vote of confidence, not adoption.

In a telephone interview, he said shutting out aspirants would be undemocratic. He stressed that while the party is willing to support Tinubu for a second term, the President also has the right to decline re-election.

“The President may decide not to contest despite having the right. If you place only one person on the ballot and he says he is not contesting, what happens? My understanding is that the Villa meeting reviewed the journey so far, then stakeholders passed a vote of confidence,” Ibrahim said.

He added, “The party felt so satisfied with the president’s performance that it passed a confidence vote. If he wants to contest when the time comes, the party will be behind him. But my understanding is that there is a proviso: one, the President must indicate interest; two, the time must arrive.

“For now, the time to contest has not come. INEC has not released guidelines or lifted the ban on campaigns. So the issue of printing forms does not arise.”

 

‘No aspirant will be shut out’

Organising Secretary Argungu said no aspirant would be shut out because of Tinubu’s adoption, stressing that democratic principles would be followed.

This contrasts with what the PDP did in 2015 when it endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as the sole candidate and printed only one form for him, shutting out others.

After the party’s zoning crisis of 2011, the PDP’s 2015 primaries marked a major departure from its earlier competitive tradition. The party barred serious contestation by printing only one expression of interest and nomination form, thereby adopting Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate.

Much like the ruling APC did earlier this year with President Tinubu, Jonathan was adopted in 2015 as the consensus candidate of the PDP. His adoption was endorsed by all major organs of the party, including the National Executive Committee (NEC), the Board of Trustees (BoT), the PDP Governors’ Forum, and other stakeholders.

However, the move deepened divisions within the party, prompting the exit of powerful factions to the opposition. The fallout ultimately contributed to Jonathan’s loss in the 2015 general election, making him the first incumbent president in Nigeria’s history to be defeated in a re-election bid and ushering in the APC.

In 2022, the APC generated billions from sales of forms for the 2023 primaries. Presidential forms were pegged at N100 million. Argungu said at the time that 145 aspirants bought governorship forms, 351 obtained senatorial forms, and 1,197 picked House of Representatives forms, while 28 picked presidential forms.

Yesterday, Argungu said, “The aspiration of the people will be the wish of the party. The NWC has endorsed President Tinubu as the next candidate. Governors have done the same, and it has been replicated in all six zones. But it does not mean the door is closed.

“When the time comes, as always, we will make our timetable known for anybody aspiring to be president on the APC platform. We won’t deny them the opportunity to purchase forms and exercise their franchise as members of the APC.

“We have never said the door is closed. We are only telling people we appreciate what Mr President is doing for the country.”

He said the APC’s victory in recent by-elections in 12 states reaffirmed the confidence Nigerians have in the party.

“These victories are not just statistics; they are a reaffirmation of the trust Nigerians place in the APC. They demonstrate our strength, resilience and growing acceptance nationwide. They reflect belief in our capacity to deliver leadership and governance,” he added.

 

Analysts weigh in

Dr Ibrahim Yahaya, a political scientist at Al-Hikmah University, said the APC’s decision allows everyone to express interest.

According to him, politics is fluid and subject to change. He said the move might prevent an intra-party crisis ahead of 2027.

“When you allow everybody to contest, nobody will begrudge the party for restricting their rights. It gives them a sense of belonging instead of feeling forced out,” he said.

“But in the APC, whatever is happening is a formality because Tinubu will still be the candidate. The party will still accommodate those who declare interest to avoid internal rifts,” he added.

Prof. Hassan Saliu, national president of the Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA), expressed concern that the APC’s action could raise legal issues since INEC has not released its timetable.

“As the ruling party, they should have waited. This is just to heat up the polity and send a message to the opposition. It is psychological warfare. But what people expect is governance. Diverting attention to forms is simply a distraction,” he said.

He added that while parties may take early steps, it is crucial to operate within the rules. “INEC should issue another warning reminding parties it is not yet time. Otherwise, the same party disobeying today will later blame INEC. Democracy is rule-based,” he cautioned.

For Dr Mohammed Alada, a political scientist at the University of Ilorin, the APC’s action reflects the monetisation of politics.

“Despite Tinubu’s endorsement, the move is designed to generate funds. Those who want to purchase forms will start working now, spending heavily. This is part of the monetisation of politics. The APC cannot pretend it has not endorsed Tinubu, but it is still exploiting the process to raise funds,” he said.

Dr Alada linked the PDP’s zoning of its ticket to the South to the APC’s open approach, calling it a classic case of game theory. “The APC and PDP are monitoring each other. Each party studies its opponent’s strategy and adopts a counter-strategy in return,” he said.