The All Progressives Congress is grappling with rising internal tensions following contentious outcomes of its governorship, National Assembly, and state Houses of Assembly primaries, with growing fears of defections, litigations and anti-party activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Findings by Sunday PUNCH revealed that while some aggrieved members have already left the party, many others are still weighing the options between remaining in the APC or defecting to opposition platforms where they believe they may have better electoral prospects.

From Lagos to Delta, Zamfara, Kogi, Plateau and Osun states, dissatisfied aspirants have lodged petitions, threatened legal action and demanded fresh primaries.

The situation has deepened concerns within the ruling party over post-primary fallout that could weaken its electoral strength in 2027.

54 lawmakers lose party tickets

No fewer than 54 serving federal lawmakers, including ranking senators and members of the House of Representatives, failed to secure re-election tickets during the APC National Assembly primaries held between May 16 and 18.

The primaries were marked by intense contests, disqualifications and shifting local power structures, with several incumbents rejecting the outcomes and alleging manipulation by party officials.

Some of the senators who lost include former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege (Delta North); Ned Nwoko (Delta North), who lost to former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa; Gbenga Daniel (Ogun East), who lost to Governor Dapo Abiodun; Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central); Neda Imasuen (Edo South); and Diket Plang (Plateau Central).

Others are Osita Izunaso (Imo West); Emmanuel Udende (Benue North-East); Titus Zam (Benue West); Olubiyi Fadeyi (Osun Central); Saliu Mustapha (Kwara); and Isa Jibrin (Kogi East).

The party also disqualified Ipalibo Banigo (Rivers West), Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South) and Benson Agadaga (Bayelsa East) from participating in the primaries.

In the House of Representatives, those who lost include Majority Leader Prof Julius Ihonvbere (Owan Federal Constituency, Edo); Nicholas Mutu (Bomadi/Patani, Delta); Mike Etaba (Obubra/Etung, Cross River); and Eseosa Iyawe (Oredo, Edo).

Others are Deputy Chief Whip Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun); Ismail Kayode (Ifelodun/Oyun/Offa, Kwara); David Zachariya (Igalamela/Idah, Kogi); Tijani Ozigi (Okene/Ogori-Magongo, Kogi); and Mansur Musa Jega (Kebbi).

Defections over discontent

The fallout has already triggered defections and political realignments.

Omo-Agege joined the newly formed National Democratic Congress, while Senator Anthony Yaro defected to the Peoples Democratic Party after losing his return ticket under a consensus arrangement.

Omo-Agege, alongside former Delta State House of Assembly Speaker, Victor Ochei, was granted waivers by the NDC to contest the Delta Central and Delta North senatorial seats respectively.

Yaro said his exit followed developments within the APC in Delta State and consultations with political associates and supporters.

He explained that his earlier decision to join the APC was motivated by the desire to serve his constituents more effectively at the national level.

He added that his latest decision might have unsettled his supporters in Gombe South Senatorial District, stressing that it was not driven by hostility toward the PDP.

Other prominent figures who have left the APC include former Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof Isa Pantami, who joined the PDP after failing to secure the governorship ticket in Gombe State, and former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who resigned after a failed governorship bid in Nasarawa State.

More exits feared

Concerns are mounting within the APC that more members could defect in the coming weeks.

Party sources told Sunday PUNCH that several aggrieved politicians are currently consulting their supporters and political allies to decide whether to remain in the APC or seek alternative platforms ahead of 2027.

A member of the House of Representatives from Ekiti State, Kolawole Akinlayo, described the primaries as fundamentally flawed.

He said, “There was no election but results were written in Government House.”

He added that stakeholders were awaiting the outcome of internal review processes.

“We are waiting for the outcome of the primary election on Wednesday this week,” Akinlayo stated.

Revolt in Lagos, party leaders warn

In Lagos State, tensions over the primaries have further exposed internal divisions within the party.

A senior party leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the exercise as “madness.”

He pointed to intervention efforts by President Bola Tinubu’s daughter and Iyaloja-General of Nigeria, Mrs Folasade Tinubu-Ojo.

Tinubu-Ojo had earlier threatened to protest over alleged distortion of some results of the Lagos APC primaries.

The party leader said her intervention was significant.

“Iyaloja is not someone to be overlooked. She cannot be asked to shut up because of her influence and large followership at the grassroots. She is also the daughter of the sitting president,” the source said.

One aspirant warned that unresolved disputes could deepen divisions within the Lagos APC.

“Asiwaju (Tinubu) is becoming old and not as agile as he used to be 15 years ago. Let’s be frank. What we have is a measure of cracks in the progressive family in Lagos. Someone won overwhelmingly and he is the popular and preferred candidate, yet they are messing with the results,” the aspirant said.

The aspirant also linked current tensions to past electoral outcomes in the state.

“There was the issue of the last presidential election that Asiwaju lost in Lagos. Obi did not win because of religion or ethnicity. He won because of the frustration and bitterness of many APC members in Lagos. It was more of the anti-party issues that gave him victory,” he added.

The source further warned that internal dissatisfaction could have electoral consequences.
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“They may think some disgruntled people who have left are dangerous, but the bitter ones who stay in the party are the real danger. So, if you want to look at this critically, history is about to repeat itself in Lagos,” he said.

“When they start issuing this note of warning, nobody will be surprised. It is more embarrassing and confusing that this is happening. We need to apply caution so that the opposition won’t twist it.”

Also in Lagos, members of the Alimosho Synergy Group rejected the results of the primaries.

The group insisted that the published outcome did not reflect votes cast.

Its coordinator, Mr Idowu Martins, said the results released by the state leadership were not acceptable.

He urged members to await the authentic outcome from the APC National Headquarters in Abuja.

Litigations, petitions trail primaries

Beyond defections, the APC is facing a wave of petitions and legal disputes across several states.

In Delta State, Senator Ned Nwoko rejected the outcome of the APC Delta North senatorial primary, which produced former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as candidate.

Okowa reportedly secured 113,309 votes, while Nwoko polled 2,612 votes and Maryam Ali scored 40 votes.

Nwoko, however, described the exercise as fraudulent.

Through his legal adviser, Chris Okobah, he insisted he had evidence to prove he actually won.

The senator warned that the party risked political backlash and internal collapse if the result was not reviewed.

His camp, however, said it would first pursue internal dispute resolution mechanisms before going to court, urging APC leadership to reassess the process.

In Zamfara State, former governorship aspirant Dr Sani Shinkafi has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Gusau challenging the emergence of Senator Sahabi Ya’u as consensus candidate for Zamfara North Senatorial District.

Shinkafi argued that there was no valid consensus arrangement.

“There was no consensus amongst the cleared aspirants and no written consent from me indicating my voluntary withdrawal from the race. I also did not endorse any aspirant as the consensus candidate,” he stated in an affidavit.

He is seeking an order nullifying the primary and directing a fresh exercise.

Petitions in Kogi, Plateau, Benue

In Kogi State, APC senatorial aspirant and party secretary in the United Kingdom, Momoh Obaro, petitioned the party’s appeal committee, alleging irregularities, violence and participation of an unqualified candidate.

In Plateau State, no fewer than 10 National Assembly aspirants stormed the APC secretariat in Jos to submit petitions challenging the conduct of the primaries.

Among them were Senator Diket Plang, Chris Giwa, Ephraim Usman, Gyang Zi, Istifanus Gyang, Victor Lar, AVM Paul Masiyer, Komsol, Dr Tongshinen and Beatrice Dakas.

They urged the appeal committee to address what they described as serious irregularities in the exercise.

In Benue State, the member representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency, Terseer Ugbor, rejected the outcome of the primary in his constituency, alleging that results did not reflect votes cast.

However, he ruled out defection.

He said, “I have submitted my petition against the declaration of fake results. Whatever the party decides, I’ll accept it and work for the victory of the party at all levels.”

‘Defections after primaries empty threats’

Efforts to obtain reaction from the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, were unsuccessful.

Morka, after listening to enquiries from Sunday PUNCH, ended the call abruptly.

A follow-up text message sent to him was not responded to.

The Chairman of the APC, Kwara State, Sunday Fagbemi, has dismissed threats by aggrieved aspirants to leave the party after losing primary elections, describing such moves as “empty threats.”

He said politics should be approached with a sportsmanlike spirit, stressing that victory and defeat are natural outcomes of any contest.

Fagbemi noted that no politician could win every contest and urged dissatisfied members to explore the party’s conflict resolution mechanisms rather than abandon the platform.

“When there are primaries, you either win or lose. When you are not taking politics as a sportsman, there is a problem. You cannot win all the time,” he said.

The APC chairman questioned the rationale behind defecting simply because of a primary election loss, arguing that other opportunities could emerge within the political system.

Fagbemi also took a swipe at opposition parties, claiming they were plagued by internal divisions and organisational challenges.

“Assuming you said you are going to the PDP, which faction of the PDP are you going to? If you say you are going to the ADC, you have different factions of the party. We have two parties in the country as far as I am concerned, the APC and others. And the others are in disarray because of their lack of organisation.

“If you lose a primary here, there is always a process for conflict resolution. Follow it, appeal, and, if you don’t succeed, wait for another time. Sincerely, I don’t see anything in saying they are leaving. As far as I am concerned, they are empty threats,” he said.