The All Progressives Congress (APC) has resolved disputes arising from its governorship primaries in states where the contests were contentious, paving the way for the submission of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Party sources disclosed that the APC has uploaded the particulars of its governorship candidates and their running mates for 27 of the 28 states where governorship elections will be held.
The only outstanding submission is for a Northeast state, where party leaders are expected to decide on a replacement for the outgoing deputy governor, who has completed two terms in office, at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja.
Among the candidates whose names have been uploaded are House of Assembly Speaker Yakubu Danladi Salihu for Kwara, Senator Sharafadeen Alli for Oyo, former Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) Executive Secretary Ahmed Tijani Galadima for Adamawa, and former Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar.
The four states witnessed fierce governorship primaries that triggered protests and disagreements among party members.
In Kwara, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s endorsement of Danladi sparked opposition from several aspirants, including Senators Salihu Mustapha, Oyelola Ashiru and Umar Sadiq Suleiman, as well as party elders across the state’s three senatorial districts.
Bauchi also experienced intense internal divisions after Mohammed Abubakar emerged as the party’s governorship candidate. Several aspirants rejected the outcome, while Senator Shehu Umar Buba defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to secure its governorship ticket. The APC also lost its deputy state chairman, Ibrahim Misau, alongside several local government and ward executives who declared support for Buba.
In Adamawa, however, party leaders appear to have reconciled following Galadima’s emergence. Although Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri reportedly preferred another candidate, Galadima enjoyed the backing of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. The governor has since been seen attending political events alongside the APC governorship candidate.
Oyo State also witnessed prolonged disagreements after former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu challenged the outcome of the primary despite repeatedly describing the exercise as transparent. Adelabu had pursued an appeal at the party’s national secretariat even after Senator Sharafadeen Alli received his certificate of return and unveiled Adesoji Adedeji as his running mate. Party sources, however, confirmed that the matter has now been resolved.
A member of the APC vetting committee, who spoke anonymously, said the party had made significant progress in completing the upload of governorship candidates.
“We have made giant strides in our efforts to upload the details of all our governorship candidates and their deputies. But for one state, we would have completed and closed the process,” the source said.
According to the official, the only outstanding issue concerns the selection of a deputy governorship candidate in one Northeast state, adding that the matter is expected to be resolved at Monday’s stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja.
The party has also processed the details of 12 first-time governorship candidates and their running mates, including Obafemi Hamzat (Lagos), Solomon Adeola (Ogun), Kingsley Chinda (Rivers), Eric Opah (Abia), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Mustapha Gubio (Borno), Jamilu Gwamna (Gombe), Ahmed Wadada (Nasarawa) and Baba Wali (Yobe).
Other governorship candidates already submitted include Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Abba Yusuf (Kano), Dikko Radda (Katsina), Umar Bago (Niger), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) and Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto).
Party officials further revealed that about 60 per cent of the APC’s House of Assembly candidates have also been uploaded to the party’s portal ahead of the August 8 deadline set by INEC for the submission of governorship and state assembly candidates.
