Ahead of the conduct of primaries by the All Progressives Congress, aspirants for governorship and National Assembly seats are smarting for a showdown with governors plotting to secure tickets for themselves in the Parliament and their anointed aspirants as candidates.

Investigations revealed that despite open endorsement in states by outgoing governors proclaiming their favored choices as consensus candidates, aspirants determined to secure tickets have continued to troop to the Abuja Continental Hotel to purchase Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms.

In Nasarawa State, despite the endorsement of the Senator representing Nasarawa West, Ahmed Wadada as consensus candidate by the incumbent governor, Abdullahi Sule, checks revealed that a former Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu and the only female aspirant in the race, Dr. Fatima Abdullahi, have vowed not to surrender themselves to any consensus deal.

By virtue of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, parties can select their candidates through direct primary or the consensus option. The provisions, however, made it mandatory that aspirants must voluntarily withdraw from the race before any “sole aspirant” could be pronounced as the consensus candidate.

Speaking with newsmen on Monday shortly after submitting his Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms, Dr Abdullahi insisted that she would only submit herself to direct primary.

She said:” We will be comfortable with the direct primaries, which is what my state is adopting, because as you can see we have over six aspirants currently in the state that have bought and some have submitted their forms. So automatically we are going for direct primaries.

“The governor, like he said and like everybody has acknowledged, has a right to point to his preferred candidate. However, he has made it clear to us as aspirants and to the entire people of Nasarawa State that it is going to be a free and fair election. Direct primaries, there isn’t much that can be done by way of election malpractice or whatever it is.”

In Yobe state, former Inspection General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, submitted his forms in Abuja despite the endorsement of Honourable Baba Wali as consensus candidate.

He dismissed the adoption of Honourable Wali as he maintained that he was shut out of the discussions that culminated in the pronouncement of Wali as favored choice.

“If i believed in it, I would not be here. I have not seen where any consensus has taken place. I have not participated in any consensus meeting, and I have not agreed to support anybody. That is why I am here.”

In Adamawa State where the incumbent, Ahmadu Fintiri has picked forms for Adamawa North senatorial ticket, Dr. Salihu Bakar Girei, has declared that only a free, fair contest will promote unity in APC in the North central state.

Speaking with journalists after submitting his forms, Dr Girei said he was convinced that President Tinubu would not allow anyone to hijack the process of selection of candidates.

He said:” I am very much convinced that it is an open race because, one, Mr. President, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a democrat, a true democrat who has fought for democracy throughout his life.

“He fought against military dictatorship and also against the then PDP-led system. He ensured transparency in all his dealings.

“The Electoral Act has clearly eliminated indirect primaries, which in itself is a form of imposition.”

Also the Senator representing Gombe Central Senatorial District, Senator Muhammad Danjuma Goje, has outrightly rejected the arrangement adopted by the State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The development was contained in a statement issued by an aide of the Senator, Barr. Saidu Muazu Kumo, copies of which were made available to Journalists on Monday.

Danjuma Goje, who has been in the Senate since 2011 after his 8 years, two terms as Governor stated that the purported consensus meeting involved only the State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya and a limited number of aspirants, “and did not include all duly recognized aspirants within the party”

According to him, the provisions of the Electoral Act has clearly stipulated two lawful methods for the nomination of candidates by political parties for submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to him, “These methods must be strictly adhered to in order to ensure legality and transparency in the electoral process.”

In the same vein, Senator Saidu Ahmed Alkali, has publicly rejected the announced consensus and adoption of Jamilu Ishiyaku Gwamna, as the candidates of the party for the 2027 general elections.

The rejection of the consensus arrangements as announced by the State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya on Sunday, was contained in a strongly worded statement issued through his media aide, Umar Alkali Jibrin.

The Senator described the move by some party stakeholders as “undemocratic, arbitrary, and inconsistent” with the Electoral Act, 2026.

He argued that the process violated key provisions of the Electoral Act, particularly Sections 84(1) and 87(1), which mandate the conduct of primaries and require the written consent of all aspirants before adopting a consensus candidate.

According to him, “No such consent was sought or obtained, rendering the exercise legally questionable and politically unacceptable.”

He added that, “It is a clear departure from due process and undermines the democratic principles upon which the party stands.”

The aspirant further emphasized that his purchase of the expression of interest and nomination forms confirmed his legitimate status in the race, adding that he cannot be sidelined in decisions of such magnitude.

Speaking with journalists after submitting his forms, Senator representing Ekiti Central and Leader of the Senate, Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, however allayed the fears trailing the consensus option in the Electoral Act.

The Senate Leader maintained that by virtue of the provisions of the Act, there was nothing sacrosanct in the consensus option, as he noted that even a sole aspirant would still be subjected to the process of endorsement.

He said: “What we passed was two manners of primary election either by direct primaries or by consensus. In any case, there will always be primaries.

“Even where you have only one aspirant, there will still be primaries because even for someone who does not have anyone contesting, or for someone who has been endorsed you know by consensus, everybody will still go to the ward, everybody will still participate in the primaries because there will still be the need to do an endorsement, open endorsement at the ward level.

“So there’s nothing that can be done under the table whether you are doing direct primaries or you are doing consensus. But we feel that in situations where stakeholders agree you know on a particular candidate they should be able to come through by way of consensus.

“But where you have even only one person disagreeing with the consensus approach, then definitely there must be primaries in which case there will be direct primaries.

“The only thing we eliminated was the indirect primaries because we didn’t think a few people in the name of delegates should take decisions on behalf of the people.”

Meanwhile, the APC National Working Committee has again shifted the deadline for submission of forms and screening of aspirants.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Barrister Felix Morka in a statement on Monday, disclosed that the Sale of Forms has been “extended to midnight, Wednesday, 6th May 2026,

“submission of Forms: Extended to midnight, Thursday, 7th May 2026.”

Screening of Aspirants will now take place on Friday, 8th May 2026 – Tuesday, 12th May 2026. (Nigerian Tribune)