Why APC Has Yet to Release Final List of Successful Candidates for 2027 — Yilwatda
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has explained why the ruling party is yet to release the official list of candidates who emerged from its primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Yilwatda said the delay is due to the ongoing review of petitions and reports submitted by the party’s various appeal committees, stressing that no final decision has been taken on several contested primary elections across the country.
Speaking on Thursday in Abuja, the APC chairman disclosed that the party’s legal department is currently scrutinising complaints and appeal reports from aggrieved aspirants and stakeholders before presenting its findings to the National Working Committee (NWC) for final consideration.
He emphasised that the party would not submit any list of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) until all grievances arising from the primary elections had been thoroughly addressed in line with due process.
Yilwatda made the clarification while receiving a group of protesting stakeholders from the Niger South Senatorial District, who stormed the APC National Secretariat in Abuja to demand the cancellation of the senatorial primary election conducted in the district.
The protesters alleged widespread irregularities during the exercise and called for a fresh primary election, insisting that the process that produced a candidate for the district was neither transparent nor reflective of the wishes of party members.
Addressing journalists during the protest, the Deputy National Secretary of the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs), Comrade Danesi Momoh Prince, claimed that no genuine primary election took place in the district.
According to him, party members across the predominantly Nupe-speaking senatorial zone had gathered at designated voting centres awaiting accreditation and voting when information filtered in that results had already been announced.
He further alleged that the declaration of results was made at the Government House in Minna rather than at the APC zonal office in Bida, where senatorial primary election results had traditionally been announced.
The protesters argued that the deviation from established procedures cast serious doubt on the credibility of the exercise and reinforced suspicions that the outcome had been predetermined.
“We are demanding justice and a fresh, transparent and credible primary election. What happened cannot be described as a democratic process,” one of the protesters said.
The aggrieved stakeholders also appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the national leadership of the APC to intervene and ensure fairness, justice and internal democracy within the party.
Responding to the concerns, Yilwatda maintained that the Electoral Act and the APC constitution provide clear procedures for challenging the outcome of primary elections.
He noted that only aspirants who participated in the contested primaries have the legal standing to file complaints and seek redress through the party’s established appeal mechanisms.
The APC chairman disclosed that reports from appeal committees across the country had already been submitted and were currently undergoing legal review.
He urged aggrieved aspirants to properly document any alleged irregularities and channel their complaints through the appropriate party structures.
“You should encourage the affected aspirants to properly document any grievances and ensure that they are submitted through the approved channels. The Appeal Committee reports are already before the legal department for review,” Yilwatda stated.
He assured party members that all complaints involving genuine breaches of party rules or electoral guidelines would be given fair consideration.
According to him, once the legal department concludes its assessment, its recommendations will be forwarded to the National Working Committee, which will take final decisions before the party releases and submits its official list of candidates to INEC.
“The process is not completed until all appeal reports are reviewed. We are awaiting the legal department’s report, after which the National Working Committee will take the necessary decisions in line with due process,” he added.
