The All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the adoption of a direct primary system for its 2026 presidential candidate selection, a process that will allow all registered party members nationwide to participate in voting.
According to a statement issued from the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, the exercise is scheduled to take place on May 24, 2026, across all 8,809 wards in the country.
The party explained that the decision is aimed at ensuring wider participation and transparency in the selection of its presidential flag bearer ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Under the arrangement, every registered APC member will be eligible to vote for their preferred aspirant, with results expected to be collated from ward level to local government areas before final transmission to the national collation centre in Abuja.
The party also stated that the conduct of the primaries in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory would be supervised by appointed state coordinators and collation officers.
It also confirmed that earlier guidelines on the “Procedure for the Conduct of Direct and Consensus Mode of Primaries,” submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on May 15, 2026, would still apply to the exercise.
The APC named former Senate President, Senator Pius Anyim, as chairman of its Presidential Primary Election Committee.
Other members of the committee include former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, former deputy governor Grace Titi Laoye-Ponle, Yakubu Dogara, Idris Wada, while Senator Sanusi Musa would serve as secretary.
The party also constituted an Appeal Committee for the presidential primary, headed by former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, with Samuel Pwajok as secretary and Patricia Etteh as a member.
The party announced several serving and former governors as state coordinators and collation officers for the presidential primary exercise across the federation.
Among them is Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, who recently withdrew from the party’s governorship primary.
Others include Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Hyacinth Alia of Benue, Babagana Zulum of Borno, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi, Monday Okpebholo of Edo, Peter Mbah of Enugu, Umar Namadi of Jigawa, and Uba Sani of Kaduna.
Also listed are Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger, Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, and former Osun State governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
The APC said each state coordinator would oversee the conduct of the primary in their respective states, supervise collation at local government levels, and transmit results to the national committee in Abuja.
The party added that all procedures would strictly follow its earlier approved guidelines on direct and consensus primaries submitted to INEC.
The announcement sets the stage for what is expected to be a highly competitive internal contest as the APC begins preparations for the 2027 general elections.
