BREAKING: APC Primaries Face Setback as Majority of Members Risk Disqualification
With only weeks to the commencement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries, fresh indications suggest that only a limited number of party members may be eligible to participate in the exercise, raising fresh concerns over the credibility of the process.
Emerging findings indicate that nearly 80 percent of APC members across the country may be excluded from the primaries due to failure to meet their financial obligations to the party.
Under APC rules, only financial members—those who are up to date in the payment of their dues—are legally recognised to participate in internal party activities, including primaries and consensus arrangements.
This development has triggered anxiety within party circles, as any attempt to allow non-financial members to vote or participate in delegate processes could expose the primaries to legal challenges from aggrieved aspirants.
The situation is further complicated by the party’s recent online membership registration exercise, which, although aimed at updating its database, reportedly failed to clearly address how members were expected to regularise their dues status ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite the unresolved membership concerns, the ruling party has gone ahead to release a revised timetable for its primaries.
According to the schedule released by the APC:
- House of Representatives primary — May 15, 2026
- Senate primary — May 18, 2026
- State House of Assembly primary — May 20, 2026
- Governorship primary — May 21, 2026
- Presidential primary — May 23, 2026
Party regulations make it clear that only members who are financially up to date can take part in these exercises.
There are growing fears that the inclusion of non-financial members in voting or consensus decisions could render parts of the process invalid, especially if dissatisfied aspirants head to court to challenge the legitimacy of the primaries.
Apart from elected and appointed political office holders—whose dues are often deducted directly from their salaries—only a small number of ordinary party members are said to consistently pay the mandatory monthly due of ₦200.
Sources within the party also revealed that a large number of aspirants seeking APC tickets across the country have not fully met their dues obligations, with current office holders said to be among the few exceptions.
The uncertainty is worsened by the reported absence of verifiable dues records among party executives from the ward level up to the national secretariat, creating confusion over who is truly qualified to participate in the primaries.
To further deepen the crisis, the APC is yet to publish a comprehensive and verifiable membership register, leaving many aspirants in the dark over the actual number of eligible voters in their wards ahead of the crucial contests.
With the primaries fast approaching, concerns are mounting that the APC may be heading into one of its most contentious internal electoral exercises in recent history.