North-Central APC opposes primaries for sitting governors

The North-Central All Progressives Congress Forum has rejected calls for sitting governors seeking a second term to undergo primary elections ahead of the 2027 polls.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, and issued on Thursday, the forum described governors as the party’s “biggest assets,” adding that it would be wrong to subject them to primaries.

The National Chairman of the APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, was recently quoted as saying there would be no automatic tickets for governors and other officeholders seeking re-election.

However, the forum noted that since Nigeria’s return to democratic governance in 1999, presidents and governors seeking a second term have traditionally secured their party tickets unopposed.

Countering Yilwatda’s position, the forum warned that compelling governors to face primaries could destabilise the APC and create openings for the opposition in the general election.

“It will amount to serious disrespect to the Office of the Governor. The biggest assets the party has are the President and the state governors. Allowing anyone to contest against them in primaries is not only disrespectful but also undermines the well-being of the party,” the statement said.

The forum insisted that governors seeking a second term should be given the party’s ticket unopposed for the 2027 elections, citing past practice.

We recall that in 2019, nobody contested the APC primary with the late former President Muhammadu Buhari, and returning APC governors also went unopposed. Why should that change now?” the statement asked.

It also warned of the consequences of opening up governorship tickets where there are incumbent governors.

“We are calling on the National Executive Committee of the APC to urgently reconsider this idea. It will create disunity and crisis in the party because some people will come out just to cause confusion,” the statement said.

The forum added that opposition parties could plant candidates in APC primaries to weaken incumbents and hurt the party’s chances in the main election.

“Allowing party members to challenge a sitting governor in a primary election could destabilise the party, create bad blood and division, and present opportunities for the opposition. We are totally against such a plan,” the statement said.

However, the forum clarified that primaries should be held in states where a governor has completed his tenure.

“In situations where a governor has rounded off his term and a new administration is coming in, a primary election is necessary, but not when a governor is going for a second term,” it stated.

Culled from punch