Why APC Must Embrace Direct Primary Elections Now

By Ibrahim Kegbegbe

Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s recent call for unity, discipline and sportsmanship as the All Progressives Congress begins its 2026 nationwide primaries is a timely intervention. However, beyond the President’s reassuring words lies a serious issue that the party must confront if it hopes to avoid another season of internal conflict: the growing resistance among party members to consensus candidacy.

Across Nigeria, many APC members and aspirants have continued to demand direct primaries as the fairest way to select candidates. Their concern is understandable. In many political parties, consensus often becomes a means through which powerful leaders impose preferred candidates on members, shutting out popular aspirants and creating resentment within the party structure.

The APC is no stranger to such internal disputes. Since its formation in 2013 and assumption of power in 2015, the party has repeatedly struggled with crises arising from its primary elections. In several states, disagreements over candidate selection have led to factional divisions, court cases and defections. The most notable case remains the 2019 Zamfara APC Supreme Court ruling, where the party lost all elective positions in the state after the court ruled that its primaries were not validly conducted.
That judgment remains a painful reminder that poor management of internal democracy can destroy electoral victories.

The current debate within APC over direct primaries versus consensus should therefore not be dismissed as routine disagreement. It is a warning sign. If the party insists on imposing consensus candidates in states where aspirants are clearly opposed, litigation is almost certain. Many aspirants who have invested time, resources and political capital will not quietly accept exclusion. They are likely to challenge such outcomes in court, and that may create nationwide legal battles capable of weakening the party before the 2027 general elections.

The Electoral Act permits consensus, and direct primaries, but consensus is only lawful when all aspirants willingly agree. Where even one aspirant rejects the arrangement, the spirit of democracy demands an open contest. This is why direct primaries have become the preferred option for many APC members. It gives ordinary party members the opportunity to vote directly for their candidates and reduces the perception that governors or party leaders are deciding outcomes behind closed doors.

There are already signs of unease in several state chapters of the APC. Reports of protests, petitions and accusations of planned candidate imposition suggest that the party may be underestimating the seriousness of the discontent. While the President’s appeal for calm is commendable, peace cannot be achieved by speeches alone. It depends on whether party leaders are willing to allow a transparent process that members can trust.

The reality is that direct primaries may be more cumbersome and expensive to organize, but they offer legitimacy. Consensus may appear easier, but when forced, it often leaves bitterness that can outlast the election itself. In a political climate where opposition parties are preparing aggressively for 2027, APC can ill afford to enter the election season divided by internal suspicion and legal disputes.

Tinubu was right to say that the primaries are a referendum on the party’s unity. But that unity will be tested not by how many speeches are delivered, but by how fairly candidates emerge. If APC leaders ignore the widespread demand for direct primaries and continue to push consensus in contested states, the party may soon face the same pattern that has troubled many Nigerian political parties: parallel factions, endless court cases and damaged public confidence.

The lesson is simple. Internal democracy is not a favour party leaders grant to members; it is the foundation of political legitimacy. If APC wants to avoid fresh crises, preserve its unity and strengthen its chances in 2027, it must allow direct primaries wherever consensus is disputed.

Anything short of that may open the door to another avoidable political crisis—one that could begin within the party and end in the courtroom.