2027: Defections, lawsuits spread in APC
- Reconciliation push fails to stem crises in key states
- Aggrieved heavyweights take structures to opposition
The All Progressives Congress (APC) is battling a widening post-primary crisis, with defections and lawsuits spreading across states and threatening the ruling party’s electoral strength ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Nearly four months after its 2026 primaries, reconciliation efforts by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) have failed to halt the fallout, as aggrieved aspirants and their supporters either head for the courts or move their political structures to opposition parties.
Findings by Daily Sun showed that the NWC moved swiftly after the primaries, constituting reconciliation panels and dispatching peace missions to troubled states. But the interventions have yielded little in some of the worst-hit areas.
Disaffected members complain that the reconciliation offers no realistic route back to political relevance, leaving many with two options—litigation or defection.
At the heart of the crisis is the amended Electoral Act, which has narrowed the options traditionally available to defeated aspirants. In previous election cycles, aggrieved politicians could sometimes be accommodated through consensus arrangements, deputy slots or other last-minute political deals.
That latitude has contracted sharply, reducing the room for compromises that once helped parties heal after bruising primaries.
The stakes are particularly high because many of those walking away are not peripheral figures. Several command established grassroots structures, loyal followings and considerable electoral influence.
Their departure could therefore cost APC more than membership numbers. It potentially puts governorship and National Assembly seats at risk and, in states where electoral margins are tight, could complicate the party’s calculations in the presidential election.
The cracks are already visible across several states.
In Nasarawa, former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu Abubakar, defected from APC to the Social Democratic Party after losing the governorship primary.
Kwara Senator, Saliu Mustapha, moved to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after being excluded from both the governorship and senatorial contests, taking his political structure with him.
In Bauchi, Senator Shehu Umar Buba also left the party following his governorship primary defeat, with APC Deputy State Chairman Ibrahim Misau and some ward and local government officials subsequently joining the exodus.
Cross River federal lawmaker Alex Egbona abandoned APC for the PDP in pursuit of a third term in the House of Representatives.
The situation in Osun remains equally unsettled. Senator Iyiola Omisore has rejected reconciliation overtures since being screened out of the governorship primary, while about 20 of his loyalists have already defected to Accord.
In Ondo, the battle has moved from party offices to the courtroom. Aspirants linked to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa have sued APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the outcome of some primaries.
Among them is Pastor Akingboye Akinleke David, who is challenging the emergence of Donald Ojogo as APC candidate for the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency.
Sources familiar with the dispute told Daily Sun that Aiyedatiwa’s camp financed nomination forms for some of the aspirants now in court.
Political observers fear the prolonged dispute could weaken APC in the constituency and potentially hand the seat to the opposition if reconciliation fails.
Party insiders acknowledged privately that what initially appeared to be isolated grievances has developed into a broader pattern, even as reconciliation committees continue engagements in affected states.
Multiple suits challenging primary outcomes also remain pending, prolonging uncertainty over some APC candidates as the country moves closer to the 2027 campaigns.
The unfolding crisis carries an ironic twist for the ruling party. APC’s rise to national power was aided significantly by defections from rival parties. More than a decade later, the same political weapon it once deployed to devastating effect against its opponents is increasingly being turned against it.
