ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The National Working Committee (NWC), of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has reportedly backed down on its initial push for consensus primaries ahead of Thursday’s House of Representatives shadow elections, following mounting pressure from aspirants and party members across the country.
The clearest indication of the shift emerged after the party’s Organising Department dispatched election materials and result sheets to all states, a move widely interpreted by party insiders as approval for direct primaries.
The development comes after widespread resistance to the consensus arrangement from stakeholders across the APC’s 360 federal constituencies.
A senior party source disclosed that the NWC was forced to reconsider its earlier position in order to avoid deepening internal divisions within the ruling party.
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“Reports from many states reaching the NWC showed that our members and aspirants would rather subject their aspirations to an election than concede to consensus,” the source said.
According to the insider, the party leadership eventually opted for flexibility after discovering that many aspirants preferred open contests.
“The NWC has directed that everybody should go to the field where aspirants and stakeholders cannot agree,” the source added.
The resistance against consensus primaries was particularly visible in Oyo State, where supporters of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, stormed the APC secretariat in Ibadan to protest the endorsement of Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the party’s consensus governorship candidate.
One of the protesters accused party leaders of attempting to deny aspirants a fair contest through imposition.
“Imposing a candidate denies others a fair opportunity. We demand transparency and the adoption of direct primaries,” the protester declared.
Similar tensions reportedly erupted in the Ile-Oluji/Oke-Igbo and Odigbo Federal Constituency of Ondo State after reports suggested that Hon. Mathew Oyerinmade, popularly known as MATO, was being positioned for the House of Representatives seat following his unsuccessful senatorial ambition.
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Critics within the constituency allegedly described the arrangement as a “consolation prize” disguised as consensus.
Opposition to consensus primaries was also recorded in northern states.
Former Minister of Communications, Isa Pantami, openly rejected the idea in Gombe State, while former Inspectors-General of Police, Abubakar Mohammed Adamu and Usman Alkali Baba, who are contesting in Nasarawa and Yobe states respectively, reportedly demanded transparent and competitive primaries.
Benue politician Mathias Byuan was also said to have joined calls for a direct electoral process.
Thursday’s House of Representatives primaries mark the beginning of a major round of internal contests within the APC ahead of the 2026 general elections.