APC Primaries Chaos: Over 150 Aspirants Disqualified—Protests, Legal Threats, and Party Cracks Widen
By: Abudu Olalekan
Out in Jos, Abakalaki, Lagos – chaos grips the APC. More than 150 hopefuls knocked out by a selection round gone sideways, splitting loyalties wide open. Anger flares at rallies, court dates being set, members whispering about jumping ship. A standard check before nominations spiraled fast into something heavier. Trust frays where unity once stood firm.
Across Taraba, Kano, Jigawa, Rivers – same scene unfolds. Top-down deals quietly put in place. Candidates left out, no reasons given. A quiet anger spreads; many now see the APC leaders caring less about fair play, more about holding power tight. What comes after? Complaints pile up on desks. Lawyers get called. In several places, people who once showed up every meeting – they’re gone, just stepped away.
Taraba Youths Dismiss Appointed Senator as Total Failure
Outrage spread fast when screenings in Taraba knocked out candidates. Not approval – but pushback – greeted support for sitting leaders, like Senator Shuaibu Isa Lau up north. Young people, community voices: they didn’t just frown. Anger burned instead.
Paul Penuel, a stakeholder from Karim Lamido, didn’t mince words: “This man’s tenure has been a complete failure. No projects. No policies. Nothing measurable. And now they want to force him on us again?”
Dickson Kwinde, another constituent, warned that repeating this “costly mistake” would come at a price. “The people of Taraba North are not fools. We won’t be taken for granted.”
Even the Coalition of Concerned Youths in Karim Lamido has drawn a line in the sand: “We do not support Senator Lau. He has nothing to show for his years in office. No mandate should be handed to him again.”
Out back, upset candidates start writing complaints – blaming top officials for letting powerful backers fix results their way. A few warn of street demonstrations. Then there are those eyeing court battles instead.
Kano: Consensus or Coercion? Shekarau’s Endorsement Sparks Backlash
Out in Kano, the selection panel dropped around two dozen hopefuls – even after supposed agreements had been made. Former top civil servant Usman Balsa didn’t make it through. Ex-legislator Sha’aban Sharada missed out too, along with a handful more chasing the Senate seat for Kano Central. Names once thought safe were suddenly off the list.
Here comes the surprise: just days later, talks behind closed doors led six hopefuls to back away. Into that gap walked ex-Governor Ibrahim Shekarau. Party insider Auwal Soja said the shift was about keeping things steady. Peace mattered more than positions
Some folks remain unconvinced.
The Coalition for Better Kano slammed the decision, arguing that loyalty should matter more than political expediency. “You can’t bypass a foot soldier who stood by the party for years just to hand the ticket to a newcomer – no matter how big his name is. That’s not justice.”
Out of nowhere, peace efforts by Governor Abba Yusuf stalled hard. Top figures walked away instead of showing up. Hajiya Sa’adatu Soja, leading ALGON, stayed absent. Salisu Yusha’u, one candidate left out in the cold, did too. The gathering meant to heal rifts stood empty-handed. Onlookers whisper tension might spike now. Silence from these players speaks loud.
Jigawa Political Shifts Spark Chain Reactions
Right away in Jigaja, things shifted fast. Not long after being disqualified, ex-Speaker Isah Idris walked out of the APC – no second thoughts.
In his resignation letter, he didn’t hold back: “I helped build this party. I believed in its principles. But now? It’s clear the APC has abandoned what it stood for.” Within days, he defected to the PDP.
Someone else stood beside him. Former Speaker Idris Garba, along with sitting representative Abubakar Sadiq, got removed too. Inside the party, voices rise – keep pushing loyal figures away, they say, and splits grow deeper. A key figure put it plainly: removing leading campaigners makes little sense when you later ask those very ones to rally behind their replacements.
Benue Zoning Rules Ignored Broken Agreements
Forty hopefuls in Benue lost their bids – outrage followed fast. Backers fumed after the party ignored zoning deals, leaving whole groups without a voice.
One supporter, Amos, put it bluntly: “Gboko was supposed to produce the next Assembly member. People pooled money to buy forms for our candidate. Now they’re telling us it’s not our turn? This will backfire in the elections.”
Kogi Commando Arrangement Forms Only for the Chosen Few
Out in Kogi, the selection stirred such uproar they started calling it a “Commando arrangement.” Those hoping to run say party bigwigs passed out forms like backstage tickets – reserved for insiders only.
Chief Femi Olugbemi didn’t sugarcoat it: “Democracy in APC Kogi is dead. It’s all about directives from above. If you’re not in the inner circle, you don’t stand a chance.”
Outrage spread fast. Demonstrators took to the streets. Lawyers hinted at lawsuits ahead. Some insiders quietly suggested a wave of departures – unless things changed quickly.
Anambra 30 expelled after suing party
One state pushed ahead. Anambra went beyond. Trouble hit when the APC kicked out three dozen people. Some were aiming for seats in the Senate. Others wanted spots in the House of Reps. Their mistake? Suing the party. Court moves cost them membership.
Publicity Secretary Valentine Iyiegbu was blunt: “If you sue the party, you’re out. The only way back is to withdraw your case.”
One rule only. No talks allowed. A strict position stands firm – now people ask if the party cares more about shutting voices down than listening to complaints.
Kaduna Sees Backlash Over Shehu Sani’s Consensus Bid
Out in Kaduna, lawmakers finished vetting candidates with no one knocked out – agreement came just in time. Yet things are heating up elsewhere when it comes to picking national contenders.
Out of nowhere, whispers about Shehu Sani gaining support for Kaduna Central began spreading fast. Not every voice cheers – some are flat out opposed. Yusuf Zailani, once presiding over lawmakers, now stands against it entirely. Yarima Shettima, known more for protests than politics, says no without hesitation. Behind closed doors, talks continue despite clear resistance. The push for unity feels forced to those on the outside looking in. Quiet alliances form while others refuse to nod along.
Shettima didn’t hold back: “This so-called consensus is a sham. Kaduna Central won’t be sacrificed for backroom deals.”
Zailani’s camp echoed the sentiment: “Politics belongs to the people, not one man. An endorsement doesn’t equal a victory.”
Rivers 65 disqualified candidates 19 petitions plus warning for apc
Thirty-three candidates passed the review in Rivers. The rest did not. A panel headed by Dr. Abdul Mahmud, a lawyer focused on human rights, delivered the results. Sixty-five hopefuls lost their chance after scrutiny. Decisions came down after appeals were examined.
Out of nowhere, Mahmud spoke up – though he’s not part of the APC, they called him in because he’s seen as neutral. Nineteen complaints landed on his team’s desk already, maybe more coming soon. What stood out most wasn’t the numbers, it was how badly messages inside the party got lost along the way.
“Most of these aspirants found out they were disqualified on Facebook. That’s not how you run a process,” he said. “Next time, send a text. A WhatsApp message. Something. You can’t leave people in the dark.”
He also warned aspirants against trying to lobby him: “I don’t care about your factions. Show me your documents, or don’t waste my time.”
Anxiety Rises Amid Delays in Results
Out in Plateau, they’ve finished the test – yet nobody sees the scores. This quiet wait stirs up jitters among those who applied.
Party chairman Rufus Bature played it safe: “We’ve screened everyone. The results will be out soon.”
Yet hopefuls claim they’re out – in whispers – no paper proof. A few blame the judges, saying rules were bent. Not everyone stays quiet; some prepare challenges ahead.
A party insider warned: “If this isn’t handled carefully, old factional fights will resurface. And some of these aspirants have serious influence. If they feel cheated, they won’t stay quiet.”
The Bigger Picture APCs Internal Democracy on Trial
Across states like Imo and Zamfara, one pattern repeats itself – consensus picks handed down, hopefuls pushed aside, trust slipping away. Power matters more than process now; decisions flow from the top, leaving little room for debate. What feels fair fades under pressure from leaders who want things done their way. People notice. Quiet frustration spreads.
Smooth sailing in places such as Sokoto and Kebbi came from agreements made ahead of time. Elsewhere, though, cracks have shown – divisions run deep, fairness feels shaky, while the party fumbles trying to hold power and allow voice at once.
Should the APC fail to act, consequences might hit hard by 2027 – experts warn of splits within ranks, court fights piling up, strength fading fast. Not acting soon may just fuel the fire already building behind closed doors.
Here’s the truth: The APC’s early vetting went beyond cutting down candidates. This moment shows something sharper – failure is showing through. Right now, that test feels less like progress and more like exposure.
