The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed speculations that it would print one presidential nomination form solely for the incumbent, President Bola Tinubu and exclude other party chieftains from the contest for its ticket, in the lead up to the 2027 presidential election.
National Organising Secretary of the party, Alhaji Sulaiman Argungu, disclosed this at a news conference on Wednesday in Abuja.
While confirming that both the National Working Committee NWC and various state chapters had adopted Tinubu as the preferred candidate, the Organising Secretary insisted the process remains open.
He said; “It will be the wish of the party, and we, the NWC of the party, have already endorsed President Tinubu as the next presidential candidate of the party. And by extension, other organs have equally done the same thing.
“Governors in the states have done the same, too. It has also been replicated in all six geographical zones of the country. But it does not mean that the door is closed.
“We will definitely not close our doors. When the time comes, our timetable will be made known. Anybody who wants to aspire for the presidency under the APC will not be denied the opportunity to purchase the expression of interest and nomination forms to exercise their franchise.
“We never said we had locked the door. We are only telling people that we appreciate what the President is doing for the people of the country and that he deserves a second term in office when we roundly endorsed him recently.”
“Democracy does not permit dictatorship. While the majority of our members have endorsed President Tinubu, any other aspirant who wishes to contest under the APC platform will still be allowed to do so”.
He further assured that the APC would continue to abide by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s INEC timetable and the provisions of the Electoral Act to ensure a credible and inclusive selection process.
Argungu also described the party’s victory in recent bye-elections held in opposition strongholds as proof of growing confidence in the ruling party and President Tinubu’s administration.
He said the wins recorded in states traditionally controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party PDP reflect the electorate’s faith in APC’s vision and manifesto.
“The fact that we can secure victory in PDP states shows that Nigerians believe in the progressive agenda of President Tinubu and the APC,” he said.
Responding to questions on allegations that the party’s Organising Department had been sidelined in the conduct of primaries, he dismissed such claims, stressing that under his leadership since 2022, the department has introduced innovations that encourage teamwork and transparency.
On concerns that some aspirants might be shut out of the forthcoming governorship primary election in Ekiti State, the APC Organising scribe clarified that the process is open to all members, insisting that no one had been denied the opportunity to participate.
“So far, four aspirants, including the serving governor, have purchased forms. Two are men, while two are women, who benefited from the party’s gender-sensitive policy that grants free nomination forms to female aspirants,” he explained.