A significant majority of All Progressives Congress (APC) members are dissatisfied with how the party conducted its state and national assembly primaries, according to the North-Central APC Forum. The group, in a statement on Tuesday, estimated that more than half of the party’s rank and file are displeased with the exercise.
The primaries were marred by disqualifications, disputed results, irregularities, and violence, as reported by DAILY POST. Several aspirants who were screened out have challenged their disqualification, threatening legal action unless the decisions are reversed.
The forum’s chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, said the poor handling of the primaries confirmed earlier fears that the process had been commercialized by national party officials. He alleged that most disqualified aspirants were those who refused to comply with the dictates of national officers and their cronies overseeing the exercise in various states.
“What we saw was that the process worsened daily—they disqualified those who should have been cleared and cleared those who should have been disqualified, all for selfish reasons. That’s why we warned earlier that the process had been monetized,” Zazzaga stated.
The forum also expressed dissatisfaction with the leadership of National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, saying many members are unhappy with his running of the party. “From our findings, 50 percent of members across the country are not happy with the primaries or the national chairman,” the statement added.
Further criticizing the selection of primary election committee members, the forum said appointments were based on personal relationships rather than competence or experience. “National officers sent their cronies to states to conduct primaries, even when those individuals lacked the capacity for such sensitive tasks. Selection was purely about personal ties and willingness to do the bidding of party officials,” the statement read.
“If an aspirant refuses to follow their tune, once they see the aspirant is likely to win, they quickly announce a disqualification. That’s why there’s confusion over results in many constituencies and senatorial districts.”
Reiterating its call for party national officers to be reined in, the forum warned of a damaging crisis ahead of the general elections if the situation is not addressed. It noted that President Bola Tinubu had called for free and fair primaries, and condemned the alleged commercialization, urging national officers not to destroy the party through poor handling of the process.
Earlier, the forum had raised an alarm about the commercialization of the primaries about 24 hours before they began. The House of Representatives primaries, initially scheduled for May 15, 2026, were postponed to May 16 without explanation, a move the forum linked to the monetization of the process.