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.
Dr. G. Fraser. MFR
The National Patriots.
Headlinenews.news Special Report
