Trust and Responsibility: Tinubu Delegates Primaries, Challenges APC Governors to Deliver.
DECENTRALISATION IS NOT DISPOSSESSION: WHY TINUBU’S EXPANSION OF FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS CORRECTS, NOT OFFENDS.
In a political climate where control is often mistaken for strength, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has opted for a different signal—delegation with accountability.
At a meeting of all APC governors at the Presidential Villa following the release of the timetable by Independent National Electoral Commission, the President authorised the governors to determine the mode of primaries—consensus or direct—within their states, subject to party rules and oversight by the All Progressives Congress.
This is not abdication. It is structured devolution—a calculated move that aligns with federal party architecture while preserving central standards.
It acknowledges a practical truth: local legitimacy is built locally.
Why this matters now
Across Nigeria’s 36 states and the FCT, primaries are where elections are often won or lost. The mechanics matter:
Direct primaries can widen participation, reduce backroom bargaining, and confer stronger grassroots legitimacy—at the cost of higher logistics and the risk of disputes if poorly managed.
Consensus can lower tension and cost, but only when it is genuinely negotiated and not a cover for imposition.
By allowing states to choose—within guardrails—the President is effectively matching method to context. States with robust registers and organisational depth can run credible direct primaries; others can pursue consensus—but only with buy-in.
The strategic upside
Ownership and buy-in: When governors and state chapters shape their primary method, they are more invested in defending the outcome. This reduces post-primary litigation and factional breakaways—historically a major leak in Nigerian party systems.
Stronger candidates, cleaner mandates: Candidates who emerge from credible processes carry legitimacy into the general election. That legitimacy translates to better mobilisation, fundraising, and coalition-building at ward and LGA levels.
Reduced centre–state friction: Central imposition has repeatedly triggered rebellion across parties.
This approach lowers the temperature by distributing decision-making while keeping the national framework intact.
Electoral efficiency: Early clarity on mode and timelines—aligned with INEC’s schedule—allows better planning for registers, venues, security, and dispute resolution.
Fewer surprises, fewer flashpoints.
The risks—and how to avoid them.
Delegation works only if it is paired with discipline:
No imposition in disguise: “Consensus” must mean negotiated agreement among aspirants—not a foregone conclusion.
Where there is no genuine convergence, direct primaries are the safer path.
Transparent rules, applied uniformly: Clear guidelines on membership registers, accreditation, voting procedures, and collation are non-negotiable.
Ambiguity is the seedbed of conflict.
Independent oversight: State committees should include credible observers from the national secretariat to ensure procedural integrity and rapid dispute handling.
Security and civility: Primaries should be contest, not combat.
Zero tolerance for violence, intimidation, or vote buying must be enforced with real consequences.
Timely grievance redress: Fast-track panels to resolve complaints within days—not weeks—can prevent small disputes from becoming electoral crises.
A word to the Governors
The latitude granted is a test of stewardship.
Use it to produce candidates the people can defend at the ballot, not merely those the system can announce. In competitive states, unpopular impositions hand the opposition an opening; in safe states, they breed apathy that depresses turnout.
The political economy also matters.
Aspirants who do not secure tickets remain assets to the party.
There are legitimate pathways—policy roles, appointments, project leadership—through which talent can be retained and deployed.
Managing ambition with dignity is how parties avoid post-primary sabotage.
The broader picture
Nigeria’s elections are won through coalitions that hold from ward to state.
A primary system that is credible, inclusive, and predictable builds those coalitions early.
By empowering states within a national framework, President Tinubu is betting that distributed legitimacy will outperform central command in 2027.
If executed with integrity, this approach could tighten party cohesion, reduce internal attrition, and present stronger, locally rooted candidates—the three ingredients that most often separate victory from regret in Nigerian elections.
National Patriots’ Position
The National Patriots commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this deliberate, system-strengthening step. We urge APC governors to honour the trust reposed in them: choose credibility over convenience, inclusion over imposition, and unity over short-term advantage.
The pathway to 2027 will not be secured by control—it will be secured by confidence earned at the grassroots.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has placed profound trust in APC Governors to manage the primaries within the framework set by All Progressives Congress and Independent National Electoral Commission. This trust must not be misused. Governors must carry party executives, National Assembly members, and critical stakeholders—a tree does not make a forest. Candidates must be credible bridge-builders—individuals who can reconnect leadership with the grassroots, communicate reforms clearly, and engage the people effectively. This is the pathway to unity, legitimacy, and electoral success in 2027.
TINUBU OFFENDED US’: ADC VANGUARD KICKS OVER DECENTRALIZATION OF FEDERAL INSTITUTIONS
• Group fumes as Aviation College, Police Academy, Army Depots spread South; warns NDA may be established in the South
The ADC Vanguard has accused President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of “offending the North” by decentralizing strategic federal institutions that were historically concentrated in Northern Nigeria.
In a statement at the weekend, the group listed three examples:
1. Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria – For 60 years the only federal aviation school, NCAT now has approved campuses in Lagos and Akwa Ibom to train pilots and engineers closer to Southern aviation hubs.
2. Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil, Kano – Established in 1988 as the sole degree-awarding police university, the Academy now has a second campus in Ogun State to ease admission pressure and reflect federal character.
3. Nigerian Army Depots, Zaria – The century-old depot in Kaduna was the Army’s only basic training ground until 2024, when President Tinubu approved new depots in Osun and Ebonyi States to expand recruitment capacity and spread economic benefits.
The ADC Vanguard’s grievance: “These institutions were our comparative advantage. Now Tinubu is taking them South. If he is reelected, he may establish a campus of the Nigerian Defence Academy in the South as well.”
The missing context:
1. Federal Character, Not Northern Character:* Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution mandates equitable distribution of federal institutions. For decades, “unity schools,” military formations, and colleges were skewed North. Decentralization corrects that imbalance without shutting Northern campuses.
2. Capacity vs Sentiment: NCAT Zaria produces ∼120 pilots yearly. Nigeria needs 500+. Lagos and Uyo campuses double output and cut travel costs for Southern cadets. Wudil admits 1,000 cadets yearly for 200,000 applicants. Ogun campus adds 1,000 slots. No Northerner loses admission; more Nigerians gain.
3. Security logic: Spreading Army depots to Osun and Ebonyi reduces strain on Zaria, creates multiple mobilization points, and denies enemies a single target. The US has West Point, Annapolis, and Air Force Academy in different regions. No one calls it “offensive.”
4. Economics: Every federal institution = hostels, staff quarters, contracts, IGR. Decentralization means Kano still has Wudil, Zaria still has Depot and NCAT, but Ilaro and Afikpo also get development. This is shared prosperity, not theft.
Bottom line: Calling equity an “offence” exposes an entitlement mindset. Nigeria is a federation. Institutions belong to all 36 states. Tinubu didn’t move Zaria to Osun. He replicated capacity.
NDA South? If it happens, it will be because Nigeria needs more officers, not because Zaria offended anyone.
~ camposblues
Dr. G. Fraser. MFR
The National Patriots.
Headlinenews.news Special Report
Great article, very helpful!