ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- President Bola Tinubu has directed his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Special Adviser on Political Matters, Ibrahim Masari, to provide presidential supervision over primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for Senate and House of Representatives seats ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The directive, according to sources, follows a series of high-level engagements between the Presidency and members of the National Assembly, who have been insisting on strict adherence to internal party democracy in the conduct of the primaries.
Under the new arrangement, the supervisory team comprising Gbajabiamila and Masari will interface with APC state governors, the party’s National Working Committee, as well as the leadership of the National Assembly, including the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, in executing their assignment.
They are expected to liaise closely with governors and party stakeholders across the country to ensure the primaries are conducted in a peaceful, transparent and credible manner, while also providing regular feedback to the President on developments.
Despite the new supervisory framework, the statutory role of the APC National Secretariat remains intact.
READ ALSO APC Fixes Primaries, Sets Two-Week Deadline For Forms
The party structure will continue to organise and conduct the primaries in accordance with the Electoral Act, as amended, and established party guidelines.
The supervisory team’s role will focus primarily on political coordination, monitoring compliance with due process and assisting in managing disputes, while the National Working Committee retains responsibility for issuing notices, screening aspirants, deploying primary election panels and collating results.
Meanwhile, there are indications that several top politicians have mounted pressure on the President to broaden the supervisory structure to accommodate more interests within the party.
However, Tinubu has reportedly resisted such moves, wary of creating a framework that could undermine the party’s authority or compromise the integrity of the primary process.
The development underscores ongoing efforts within the ruling party to strengthen internal democracy and avoid controversies that have trailed past primary elections.