..Lawmakers Allege Plot To Handpick Candidates
…Backdoor Negotiations With Rival Parties Intensify
…Ruling Party Weighs Late Primaries To Block Exits
Daud Olatunji
Fresh cracks have emerged within the ruling All Progressives Congress as political actors intensify calculations ahead of the 2027 general elections, with several federal and state lawmakers reportedly opening talks with opposition parties over fears of losing return tickets.
Findings by PLATFORM TIMES indicate that aggrieved legislators within the APC have initiated discreet negotiations with the Peoples Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress and the Labour Party in anticipation of a bruising primary season.
The anxiety is coming on the heels of the revised 2027 election timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission following the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026.
INEC had fixed February 20, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, while governorship and state Houses of Assembly polls are slated for March 6, 2027. Party primaries and dispute resolution processes are scheduled to hold between April 23 and May 30, 2026.
According to INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Kudu Haruna, the adjustments were necessitated by the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022, and the need to align with the new legal framework.
However, the abolition of indirect primaries under the new law has heightened tension among APC lawmakers seeking re-election, particularly in states where opposition governors recently defected to the ruling party.
Multiple sources in the National Assembly and state assemblies, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the defecting governors allegedly secured understandings with the APC leadership, including President Bola Tinubu, to influence the emergence of candidates for legislative seats in their states.
The development, insiders say, has unsettled long-standing APC lawmakers who fear being displaced by loyalists of the new entrants.
“Governors control party structures in their states. Many of them came with their own loyalists.
There are strong indications that they may determine who gets the tickets. Some of us are not sure of securing the party’s nod,” a serving federal lawmaker said.
The source added that talks with the PDP, ADC and LP were ongoing to explore alternative platforms should they be edged out during the primaries.
In what appears to be a counter-strategy, credible sources within the APC revealed that the party is considering scheduling its National and State Assembly primaries toward the end of INEC’s approved window.
The move, if implemented, is expected to limit the time available for dissatisfied aspirants to defect and secure tickets elsewhere before the close of nominations.
Political analysts warn that the unfolding manoeuvres could trigger a fresh wave of defections reminiscent of the realignments witnessed ahead of the 2015 and 2019 elections, potentially altering the power configuration in the National Assembly and state legislatures.
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