Trial before polls: Primaries deepen 2027 concerns

All the registered political parties according to the election time table given by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are expected to conclude their primaries today. For a process that commenced on the 23rd of April, the process across all the parties have been marred by allegations of non compliance with the laws, violence, imposition, bias, […]

All the registered political parties according to the election time table given by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are expected to conclude their primaries today.

For a process that commenced on the 23rd of April, the process across all the parties have been marred by allegations of non compliance with the laws, violence, imposition, bias, favoritism and vote buying.

From the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) ,Social Democratic Party, Labour Party (LP), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and others, there have been allegations of malpractices.

 

How governors handled the primaries

Outcome of the primary elections conducted to produce candidates for the 2027 general elections cross the state has been ambivalent.

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While in some states, governors are not happy with the outcome of the primaries conducted in their domain due to external influences that tied their hands to accept certain candidates,  in some, it is the other stakeholders that have been lamenting that the governors used their influence to impose their choices as candidates.

In states where powerful outside influences override that of the governors, they were not allowed to have their way in the election of candidates.

This happened in states such as Adamawa, Lagos, Plateau and Kwara, where some candidates were decided by forces beyond the powers of the governors.

Where the governors had their ways, stakeholders in the party are also not happy with the outcome as they accused the governors of imposing their will on them.This happened in states such as Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Benue,  Ogun and others.

Few have, however, been resolved as in the cases of Borno, Ogun and Lagos, where all the stakeholders were made to agree with the overall decision of the powers that be.

 

Abuse of direct primary

Party primaries according to the 2026 Electoral Act are to be conducted either through voting by registered members of the party or through consensus where there is an agreement by all aspirants to pick one person among them. But in cases where  either is used, there have been allegations of abuse cutting across parties.

The most common has been the jumping of numbers while counting, where for instances there is; 12, 13, 14… and the next figure announced is 127. There have been video recordings of such malpractices but surprisingly, no one has been brought to book. 

Where consensus held sway, there were also cases where the rules for all the aspirants to submit written agreements were not adhered to, indicating that some of them did not agree with the choice.

Weekend Trust recalls that as the presidential primary of the ADC was going on, two of the three aspirants, Rotimi Amaechi  and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, disagreed with the process.

Atiku was declared winner though Amaechi said there were “reports of widespread voter disenfranchisement in most parts of the country.” 

In Jos as in some states, a House of Representatives aspirant for the Bassa/Jos North Federal Constituency, Alhaji Sanusi Yakubu Tofa, rejected the declaration of Jamilu Lawandi Datti, as winner of the party’s primary election, alleging manipulation and political interference.

Ahead of its primaries, the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) issued a warning to state chapters and party officials against the illegal exclusion of cleared aspirants.

The party’s leadership declared that any attempt to block duly screened candidates from contesting is “null, void, and of no effect whatsoever.”

The directive, contained in a press statement released on Thursday night by the NDC National Publicity Secretary, Osa Director, follows circulating reports of sabotage and deliberate exclusion of certain aspirants in some state chapters.

Though the party is split into two factions, the Nyesom Wike backed faction affirmed Prof. Sandy Onor as its sole presidential candidate.

The other faction led by Tanimu Turaki, according to reports, is expected to affirm former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate today. 

 

Fallout in states

The aftermath of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary elections in Nasarawa State has triggered resignations and quiet protests from aggrieved aspirants and their supporters, even as Governor Abdullahi Sule and the party leadership rallied behind the results.

Former Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Adamu Abubakar lost the governorship primary to Governor Sule, while former Deputy Governor, Silas Ali Agara, also failed in his challenge against the incumbent.

At the National Assembly level, incumbent Reps Ari Abdulmumini Muhammad and Jeremiah Jerry Umaru lost their bids to return, and Deputy Governor Emmanuel Agwadu Akabe was denied the Senate ticket by a sitting House of Representatives member.

The shake-up extended to the State Assembly, where Speaker Danladi Jatau lost his attempt to move to the House of Representatives after being defeated by a colleague, Daniel Oga Ogazi. Assembly member Mohammed Adamu Omadefu also lost his bid for a third term.

In the fallout, both ex-IGP Abubakar,  Omadefu and their supporters have resigned from the APC. While some aspirants and their supporters have publicly reacted to the outcomes, others have kept silent as the party moves to manage internal divisions ahead of the general elections.

In Adamawa State, Governor Umar Ahmadu Fintiri was known to have  a preferred candidate while the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu preferred another.

At the end, it was the aspirant who was said to have the backing of Ribadu that won the ticket in circumstances analyst say was beyond the governor.

In Yobe State, though a former Secretary to the Yobe State Government (SSG), Baba Malam Wali, emerged as the APC governorship candidate, the process was quite complex as his co-aspirants all protested his choice by the governor, Mai Mala Buni.

Some withdrew from the race while others stood their ground until a direct primary was conducted.

Those that contested are Bashir Sheriff Machina, Mustapha Yunusa Maihaja, Hamidu Alhaji Muhammad, Inusa Muhammad and  Ma’aji Modu.

It is, however, left to be seen if all would agree to work for the party and its candidate given the acrimony that followed.

In Gombe, the governor, Inuwa Yahaya, made his choice of a successor known knocking off front line contenders  such as Isa Pantami and former transport minister, Saidu Alkali. Pantami has since defected to the PDP to test his popularity in the general elections.

One of the governorship aspirants of the PDP in Gombe State, Abdulkadir Hamma Saleh, has however petitioned the party’s Governorship Appeals Panel over what he described as his unlawful exclusion from the governorship primary election conducted in the state.

In a petition dated May 27, 2026, and addressed to the Chairman of the PDP Governorship Appeals Panel in Gombe, Hamma Saleh alleged that despite being duly screened and cleared by the party to contest the governorship ticket, he was neither informed nor invited to participate in the primary election and its eventual rescheduling.

Hamma Saleh, a PDP member from Nafada West Ward in Nafada Local Government Area, stated that the screening committee chaired by former Kaduna State governor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, had cleared him to contest ahead of the primary initially scheduled for May 24, 2026.

He explained that after the postponement of the exercise, he received no official communication from the party regarding a new date for the primary election.

According to him, he only became aware that the exercise had been conducted on May 26 through reports circulating on social media, which indicated that former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, had emerged as the PDP governorship candidate.

The aspirant claimed that Pantami was declared the sole aspirant and winner of the primary without his knowledge or participation, despite his status as a cleared contestant in the race.

In Kwara, though Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq endorsed Ambassador Abdulfatai Yahaya Seriki from Kwara Central as his preferred candidate,  powerful forces compelled him to settle for Danladi.

The sudden shift created confusion and resentment among sections of the APC in the state, Weekend Trust gathered.  What followed the primary election revealed that the tensions inside the APC had not disappeared.

Protests erupted in Ilorin shortly after Danladi’s emergence, with aggrieved APC supporters rejecting the outcome of the primary and demanding that Yahaya Seriki be recognised as the rightful candidate of the party.

Although Seriki later distanced himself from the protest and urged calm among his supporters, the development exposed the fragile nature of APC unity ahead of 2027.

There’s also a cold war between Governor AbdulRazaq Senator Saliu Mustapha, whose seat in the Senate the governor is contesting.

 

How aspirants were made to step down in some states

Reports have emerged that some aspirants who stepped down under consensus arrangements for various positions across states were prevailed upon by state governors to do so with various offers made to them.

The offers vary according to states as some were promised appointments and prerogative to nominate replacements if they’re not interested while others were offered cash.

Some of the aspirants told our correspondents that in some of the states, the offer of cash pulled through negotiations ranged from 20 million to N50 million depending on the position.

In a state in the North West where most of the candidates were asked to step down from the House of Assembly race, our correspondent learnt that certain amounts were offered. It is however not immediately known if the aspirants that conceded have been so compensated.

For some state assemblies tickets, some aspirants  said they withdrew from the race reportedly under pressure, while others were allegedly intimidated into stepping down, according to sources who spoke with our correspondent.

Our correspondent learnt that a House of Representatives aspirant in Kaduna, withdrew after discussions were held with his political godfather, who advised him to do so.

“As for us, we were not promised anything when we were invited to a meeting with government officials. He was simply asked to withdraw, but he said he would only do what his political leader instructed him to do. So they contacted his political boss, and he advised him to step aside,” one of his political allies said.

A close associate of one of the House of Assembly seats in one of the North Western states confirmed that his friend was pressured into withdrawing.

“In truth, he was simply asked to step down and allow the son of the Commissioner for Local Government to take the position, because he was made to understand that one cannot oppose the government’s wishes. So he decided to withdraw,” the source said.

Some withdrew because they saw that the process was not going to be fair and transparent.

In Kwara State, the aspirants for House of Assembly and House of Representatives were offered appointments in the cabinet and recommendations into boards of parastatals.

Our correspondent in Plateau learnt that the aspirants for the House of Representatives were offered various amounts that were not disclosed to them. One of the aspirants who confided in our correspondent, however, said at the time of filing this report that they were yet to receive the offers.

“It was agreed that since we incurred expenses while campaigning for the tickets, that we would be given amounts that would cover our campaign expenses as well as pacify us for the sacrifice we made,’ he stated.

Our correspondents, however, report that there were instances where the aspirants withdrew from the race on their own due to perceived irregularities in the processes for the election.

 

Posting of huge figures

The outcome of presidential primaries conducted by political parties ahead of the 2027 general elections has triggered debate over the huge figures recorded by some aspirants, especially when compared with votes secured during the 2023 presidential election.

The controversy is particularly centred on the figures announced by parties for their presidential primaries, with analysts and political observers questioning how internal party exercises involving only registered members produced numbers rivaling or exceeding totals recorded in a nationwide general election.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) after polling 10,999,162 votes in the party’s primary election.

The figure is significantly higher than the 8,794,726 votes he secured to win the 2023 presidential election conducted across the country by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also clinched the presidential ticket of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) after scoring 1,846,370 votes in the party’s primary.

Although the figure is lower than the 6,984,520 votes he garnered in the 2023 presidential election, observers say it remains substantial for an internal party exercise.

Peter Obi, who polled 6,101,533 votes in the 2023 presidential election as candidate of the Labour Party, emerged as the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Coalition (NDC) through consensus.

Former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke, emerged as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) after polling 6,499 votes at the primary.

Other parties also adopted consensus arrangements to produce their flag bearers.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP) returned Adewole Adebayo through consensus, while the African Action Congress (AAC) also adopted consensus in producing Omoyele Sowore as its presidential candidate.

The two factions of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) equally settled for consensus arrangements.

While the PDP faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, picked Senator Sandy Onor as its presidential candidate, the faction aligned with Kabiru Turaki, is expected to ratify former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate today.

The figures announced after the primaries have since generated discussions among political stakeholders and Nigerians on social media, with many questioning the credibility of internal party voting processes and the actual size of party memberships.

 

‘Leadership failure is behind chaotic primaries’

A Kaduna-based political analyst, Musa Zubairu, said the malpractices are happening because many people now see politics as a business.

He said late Umaru Musa Yar’adua once admitted that his election was flawed.

“He proposed amendments, and a white paper was released. He also set up six different committees under INEC, but none of these committees have really functioned effectively.

“When you look at it carefully, you will see that there is abuse because we are not ready for genuine amendments. There is abuse on the part of INEC, on the part of principal officers in political parties, and also because of the apathy on the side of the people.

“Until we begin to address these issues properly and genuinely love Nigeria, we will continue to have problems,” he stated.

He said the process of the primaries are chaotic because “the ruling party has already set the tone”.

Prof. Christopher Oluwadare, a lecturer at the Ekiti State University, EKSU, Ado-Ekiti, Department of Sociology, said the irregularities are happening because INEC cannot disrupt the internal affairs of political parties.

He said, “It is not their duty to interpret the law for any political party. Let the law take its course. You have already given them the guidelines. There is already the constitution. There is already the electoral law.

“Except if INEC will be given the authority to either accept or to reject the results. But in the primaries, INEC is supposed to be an observer. It is to observe.”