The nationwide governorship primary elections of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were marked by intense political negotiations that significantly reshaped the party’s influence across Nigeria’s states.
Rather than being driven solely by competitive voting, the primaries were largely influenced by elite bargaining, consensus building, strategic defections, zoning arrangements, and the strong involvement of influential political actors operating behind the scenes.
In many states, outcomes were effectively determined before delegates cast their ballots, reflecting a growing reliance on political compromise and internal agreements over open contests within the ruling party.
Conducted in line with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable, the exercise produced governorship candidates across 28 states. However, the process excluded Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Imo, Kogi, Ondo, and Osun, which operate off-cycle election calendars due to court rulings that previously altered governorship tenures or voided elections.
Consequently, the party concentrated its political and organizational efforts on the 28 participating states, where zoning debates, defections, and internal negotiations played dominant roles in determining outcomes.
A broad review of the primaries reveals five major patterns: increased defections into the APC, the strong advantage of incumbency, widespread use of consensus arrangements, continued relevance of zoning politics, and the persistent influence of party power brokers.
One of the most notable features of the process was the wave of defections, with several opposition governors and key political figures joining the APC and reshaping the contest before voting even began. In multiple states, negotiations over these defections were more decisive than the primaries themselves, as newly integrated political structures quickly aligned with the ruling party.
Incumbency also proved decisive, as sitting governors overwhelmingly secured return tickets, often without opposition or through affirmation exercises that eliminated competition. This trend reinforced the strength of state-level control and party structure dominance in candidate selection.
Consensus arrangements were widely adopted across states, with party leadership defending them as a means of preventing internal crises. While they promoted unity in many cases, critics argued they weakened internal democracy and limited genuine competition.
Zoning considerations also played a significant role, particularly in states where governors were completing their final terms. Regional balance and informal power-sharing agreements shaped succession outcomes in several locations.
Meanwhile, political godfathers and senior party figures remained influential, with former governors, ministers, and national leaders playing key roles in determining candidates across multiple states.
Despite the relative stability of the exercise, some states recorded disputes and legal challenges over contested outcomes, reflecting ongoing tensions within the party structure.
Overall, the APC succeeded in producing governorship candidates across all 28 states, though not without internal disagreements and post-primary grievances that are expected to persist into the 2027 election cycle.
The process now sets the stage for the next phase of political realignment as the party prepares for the general elections, with attention shifting to managing defections, resolving internal disputes, and consolidating its expanded political base nationwide.
