By Opeyemi Adelakun
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has ruled out any review of the results of its recently concluded primaries, despite mounting protests and petitions from aggrieved aspirants across the country.
The party said it had concluded work on the primary election results submitted to its national secretariat and was awaiting access to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination portal to upload the names of successful candidates for the 2027 general elections.
A principal APC official and a member of the National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke anonymously, maintained that the party was not considering any alteration of the primary outcomes.
“We are not reviewing the results of the primaries. The timeline for primaries and appeals has already elapsed. Everything has been concluded, and we are waiting for the code to upload the names of the winners,” the official said.
INEC is expected to release access codes to its nomination portal on June 26, while July 11 has been fixed as the deadline for submission of candidates’ particulars.
The development comes amid widespread dissatisfaction following the APC primaries held between May 16 and 18, during which no fewer than 54 serving federal lawmakers reportedly lost their bids for re-election tickets.
Several aspirants from states including Lagos, Delta, Rivers, Kogi, Plateau, Zamfara and Osun have challenged the outcomes, alleging manipulation, imposition and other irregularities.
According to party sources, most petitions reviewed by appeal panels failed to produce significant changes, as many complaints were considered frivolous or related to pre-primary matters.
The source cited cases involving allegations over zoning arrangements and the eligibility of former opposition politicians who recently joined the APC.
One of the high-profile disputes involves Senator Ned Nwoko, who is reportedly challenging the emergence of former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the APC candidate for Delta North Senatorial District.
Nwoko is said to be questioning Okowa’s eligibility on the grounds that he allegedly failed to properly resign from the Peoples Democratic Party before joining the APC.
Similarly, some APC aspirants in Rivers State have challenged the emergence of Kingsley Chinda as the party’s governorship candidate.
However, party officials argued that membership records in the APC register were sufficient proof of eligibility to contest under the party’s platform.
The APC also dismissed reports suggesting that President Bola Tinubu had intervened in the disputes arising from the primaries.
An NWC member described such claims as false, insisting that neither the President nor officials from the Presidency had directed the party leadership to review any primary results.
“Lagos results are intact. Nothing has changed, and nothing will be changed,” the official stated.
Despite the party’s position, some aggrieved aspirants expressed hope that Tinubu would step in before the final submission of candidates’ names to INEC.
One Lagos-based aspirant alleged that influential figures within the party were preventing the President from getting an accurate picture of the crisis.
Another warned that unresolved grievances could hurt the APC’s chances in the 2027 elections, noting that dissatisfied members could either defect or remain in the party while quietly working against its interests.
The APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, declined to comment on the matter, describing it as an internal party affair.
Efforts to reach the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, were unsuccessful as he neither answered calls nor responded to messages.
With the deadline for candidate submissions drawing closer, the ruling party appears determined to proceed with the primary outcomes despite growing pressure from dissatisfied.
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