The All Progressives Congress has unveiled its official guidelines and appointed a lineup of prominent political heavyweights to oversee its upcoming 2026 presidential primary election. According to an official document released by the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja and signed by National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru, the primary is scheduled to take place on May 24, 2026. The party has opted for a direct primary system, a move that grants all registered party members across the nation’s 8,809 wards the opportunity to vote directly for their preferred presidential aspirant.
To manage the logistics of the nationwide exercise, the party leadership has designated specific coordinators and collation officers to supervise the process across the thirty-six states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The organisation of conduct of the direct primary in each of the 36 states and the FCT shall be the responsibility of the State Coordinator and Collation Officer, who shall also collate the results of all the local governments in the state and present the same to the Presidential Primary Election Committee in Abuja, FCT on 24 May, 2026.”
Among the high-profile appointments is Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who has been named the coordinator and collation officer for his state, a development that follows his reported withdrawal from the party’s governorship primary earlier in the week. A significant number of other serving governors have been drafted into identical roles for their respective states, including:
- Hope Uzodimma
- Babagana Zulum
- Babajide Sanwo-Olu
- Mohammed Umar Bago
- Hyacinth Alia
- Monday Okpebholo
- Umo Eno
- Douye Diri
- Sheriff Oborevwori
- Lucky Aiyedatiwa
- Caleb Mutfwang
- Agbu Kefas
- Dauda Lawal
These state leaders will work alongside former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola to anchor the regional collation process.
At the national level, management of the election and potential disputes has been split between two specialized committees. The Presidential Primary Election Committee will be chaired by former Senate President Pius Anyim, working alongside a selected panel of seasoned political figures:
- Ken Nnamani (Former Senate President)
- Victor Ndoma-Egba (Senator)
- Yakubu Dogara (Former Speaker)
- Idris Wada (Former Kogi State Governor)
- Grace Titi Laoye-Ponle (Former Deputy Governor)
- Sanusi Musa (Committee Secretary)
Meanwhile, a Presidential Primary Election Appeal Committee has been established to handle any post-election grievances. This panel will be guided by:
- Ali Ndume (Committee Chairman / Former Senate Leader)
- Patricia Etteh (Committee Member / Former Speaker of the House of Representatives)
- Samuel Pwajok (Panel Secretary)
The voting process will follow a strict bottom-up collation path, starting with registered members at the ward levels, moving to the local government areas, and then to the state level before final transmission to the central committee in Abuja. The APC leadership confirmed that these proceedings will strictly adhere to the established procedures for direct and consensus primaries previously forwarded to the Independent National Electoral Commission on May 15, 2026.
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