APC Primaries Controversy
Some aggrieved aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have expressed optimism that President Bola Tinubu will intervene in the crisis surrounding the party’s primaries before the results are uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
Speaking with Sunday Punch, the aspirants said the President needs to be properly briefed on the true state of affairs within the party.
One aspirant from Lagos State, who asked to remain anonymous, alleged that “some powers that be” are preventing Tinubu from knowing what really happened during the primaries.
The aspirant blamed caucus politics for the outcome of the primaries, saying Tinubu would naturally be interested in the Lagos situation.
“These issues did not just come up today, but for Lagos, naturally, Mr President will be interested. The powers that be are trying to ambush the President. It is a game of power and they are trying to prevent the President from getting the real picture of the situation,” the aspirant said.
The aspirant added that, based on how Mr President operates — even before he became President — he listens to all sides, investigates independently, and seeks out the popular aspirant in each constituency. For that reason, he is confident the President will do the right thing.
Another aspirant in the state warned the APC against proceeding with the primary results without addressing the grievances raised by members.
He said failure to resolve the crisis could affect the party’s chances in the 2027 elections.
According to him, the ruling party should be fair to the President by settling internal disputes and allowing him to concentrate on governance.
“There were massive protests during the week at the party secretariat over the outcome of the primaries. All these are front‑burner issues for Mr President now. There should not be a rift in the ruling party with all the economic and security issues that we are battling. If anybody should give Mr President peace now, it should be the APC,” the aspirant stated.
The aspirant warned that unresolved grievances could lead to defections or internal sabotage during the elections.
He said, “Some people will walk away from the party before the election, but the danger remains those who will stay within the party and work for the opposition.
“There are those who might just be indifferent on election day, and it takes the indifference of one member for the other party to wreak havoc on the day of the election.”
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