The All Progressives Congress (APC) has resolved disputes arising from governorship primaries in states where the contests were heavily contested, paving the way for the submission of its candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The party has successfully uploaded the names and details of its governorship candidates and their running mates for 27 of the 28 states where governorship elections will be held.
The only outstanding submission is from a Northeast state, where party stakeholders are expected to meet in Abuja to decide on the choice of a deputy governorship candidate after the incumbent deputy governor completed the maximum two terms in office.
Among the candidates whose details have already been submitted to INEC are House of Assembly Speaker Yakubu Danladi Salihu for Kwara State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli for Oyo State, Ahmed Tijani Galadima for Adamawa State and former Governor Mohammed Abubakar for Bauchi State.
The primaries in these states were among the most competitive, with several aspirants expressing dissatisfaction over the outcomes.
In Kwara State, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s endorsement of Yakubu Danladi Salihu generated political tension, as several prominent party members also sought the governorship ticket.
Similarly, the emergence of Mohammed Abubakar as the APC candidate in Bauchi initially sparked disagreements among some aspirants and their supporters.
In Adamawa, however, party members have largely united behind Ahmed Tijani Galadima after his emergence as the party’s flag bearer. Galadima reportedly enjoyed strong backing from key party stakeholders, and political differences following the primary have since subsided.
In Oyo State, former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had challenged the outcome of the primary despite Senator Sharafadeen Alli receiving his certificate of return and unveiling his running mate. Party sources, however, said all issues surrounding the contest have now been resolved.
A party official disclosed that significant progress had been made in completing the submission process, with only one governorship ticket awaiting final clearance due to the unresolved choice of a deputy governorship candidate.
The APC has also submitted the details of several first-time governorship candidates across different states, including Obafemi Hamzat (Lagos), Solomon Adeola (Ogun), Kingsley Chinda (Rivers), Eric Opah (Abia), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Mustapha Gubio (Borno), Jamilu Gwamna (Gombe), Aliyu Wadada (Nasarawa), Baba Malam Wali (Yobe), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Abba Yusuf (Kano), Dikko Radda (Katsina), Umar Bago (Niger), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) and Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto).
The party also confirmed that about 60 percent of its House of Assembly candidates have been uploaded to its portal ahead of the deadline for submissions.
Political parties have until August 8 to complete the upload of their governorship and House of Assembly candidates to the INEC portal.
