What was supposed to be a celebration of an expanding ruling party is fast degenerating into a ferocious war of attrition, as the All Progressives Congress, (APC), prepares for its 2026 National Convention billed to hold in Abuja later this month.

Ahead of the Convention seen as the most important gathering since the party’s 2022 congress, governors elected on its platform are locked in bitter disagreements over the sharing of National Working Committee (NWC) positions, with zoning, presidential ambition and the calculations of 2027 general polls taking centre stages.

Multiple senior party sources, speaking to Daily Sun under the condition of anonymity, confirmed that the Progressives Governors’ Forum has held at least two closed-door sessions in Abuja that ended without resolutions.

The sticking point, sources say, is a familiar one. There are disagreements on which geopolitical zone takes which NWC office and who, within each zone, gets to name the candidates.

“The governors are not fighting over principle,” one source told Daily Sun bluntly. “They are fighting over power. Every position on that NWC is a lever for 2027.”

The APC’s forthcoming National Convention is of strategic importance as it may confirm or restructure the NWC, which manages the party’s day-to-day affairs. Zoning considerations are expected to feature prominently. However, balancing has never come easily for the party. In 2022, a similar battle over NWC positions nearly derailed the convention.

This time, the stakes are arguably higher. The APC now has no fewer than 30 governors in its fold, swelled by a wave of defections from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The main disagreement, Daily Sun gathered, revolves around three NWC positions; the Deputy National Chairman (North), the National Organising Secretary, the National Publicity Secretary, and the Deputy National Publicity Secretary.

The aforementioned offices will be critical instruments for managing delegate lists, primaries and media narratives in the run-up to the 2027 general elections. Governors elected on the platform of the APC Governors’ Forum are unhappy, Daily Sun has gathered. A senior party source said many governors feel blindsided by earlier declarations.

For instance, it was learnt that the North West is pushing hard for enhanced representation in the NWC. The North Central, which currently provides the National Chairman in Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, insists on maintaining the status quo.

The APC has inaugurated its National Central Coordinating Committee for the 2026 national convention. The inauguration ceremony held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, was presided over by APC National Chairman, Professor Yilwatda. During the inauguration, he said the move reflects the party’s commitment to internal democracy and organisational discipline.

Former Governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari, serves as Chairman of the Committee, with former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, as Vice Chairman I; Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State as Vice Chairman II; Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State as Treasurer and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State as Secretary. Multiple sources revealed that at least three governors on the committee itself hold conflicting positions on zoning and have been quietly lobbying from their respective regions to hold firm until their demands are met.

The new entrants to the party from the PDP and other parties in recent months, present a category of their own. In many states, including Delta, Enugu, Bayelsa and Taraba, allies of the defected governors emerged as state chairmen, effectively giving the new entrants firm control of party machinery.

Amid the unfolding drama, President Bola Tinubu has shown no sign to intervene. Instead, he has tactically given governors the leeway to control the affairs of the party. (The Sun)

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