As the All Progressives Congress (APC) moves toward the 2027 elections, a brewing internal conflict has surfaced over access to nomination forms.
Aggrieved aspirants have raised an alarm, accusing state governors of “hijacking” the distribution process to favor handpicked candidates, a move they warn could lead to a significant party rupture.
The tension escalated in Abuja when presidential aspirant Chief Osifo Stanley revealed he had been unable to secure his form despite repeated attempts since the weekend.
Stanley alleged that party officials have been unreachable and have failed to provide the necessary payment details.
“I made calls between Saturday and yesterday to officials of the party. The account number required to pay for the form is yet to be made available to me as we speak,” Stanley stated.
Investigations suggest that this is not an isolated incident.
Aspirants across governorship and legislative levels in states like Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo report similar roadblocks.
Critics point to the Progressive Governors’ Forum, accusing them of manipulating party structures to sideline grassroots candidates.
A party chieftain, speaking anonymously, warned that this mirrors past failures where imposition led to electoral losses:“When forms are no longer accessible to everyone and the process is skewed in favour of a few, you are setting the stage for crisis. People will resist being shut out.”
Addressing the National Working Committee’s (NWC) recent open endorsement of President Bola Tinubu, Stanley insisted that such gestures cannot override the law.
“There is no part of our party constitution that says when people endorse the President, he automatically becomes the candidate or remains the only pathway. The constitution and INEC regulations empower me to run,” he affirmed.
The 50-year-old Edo-born politician, who independently finances his campaign, argued that Nigeria must move away from the “monetization” of politics:“In other parts of the world, leaders emerge without excessive spending… Nigeria deserves a system where competence, not money, determines leadership.”
In response to the allegations, the party’s national leadership has moved to calm the situation.
Abimbola Tooki, Special Adviser to National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, clarified that the sale of forms was never intended to be decentralized.
Aspirants are expected to obtain their documents directly from the National Headquarters in Abuja.
While acknowledging that governors are the leaders of the party in their states, Tooki insisted their influence does not extend to tampering with the democratic process:“The party never indicated that the sale of forms would be decentralised… [The governors’ status] does not give them the latitude to tamper with internal democratic processes designed to ensure fairness and equity for all aspirants.”
Despite these assurances, the “scramble” for forms continues to expose deep-seated friction between the party’s grassroots and the powerful governors’ bloc.
