By Eniola Ambosege, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress has rescheduled its governorship and presidential primary elections ahead of the 2027 general polls, shifting both exercises by several days as part of adjustments to its timetable.
The party announced that its presidential primary, earlier fixed for May 15 and 16, will now hold on May 23, 2026, while the governorship primaries have been moved to May 21, 2026.
The APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko, disclosed the changes on Thursday while briefing journalists after the 186th National Working Committee meeting held in Abuja.
Meseko said the revised schedule aligns with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), and the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He explained that the adjustment also affected other pre-primary activities, including the screening of aspirants and the handling of appeals.
According to him, the sale of nomination forms will run from April 25 to May 2, 2026, while the deadline for submission of completed forms is May 4.
Screening of aspirants for various positions—State Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, and governorship—will now take place between May 6 and May 8, while presidential aspirants will be screened on May 9.
The party said results of the screening exercise will be published on May 11, with appeals scheduled for May 12 and 13.
Meseko further stated that other primaries would proceed as follows: House of Representatives on May 15, Senate on May 18, and State Houses of Assembly on May 20, before the governorship and presidential primaries on May 21 and May 23 respectively.
He added that post-primary appeals would be conducted between May 18 and May 25, depending on the category of election.
On the mode of primaries, the APC said it had adopted both direct and consensus options as provided in the Electoral Act, noting that aspirants are free to choose their preferred method.
“Where consensus is agreed, it will stand, but where it fails, the process will automatically revert to direct primaries,” Meseko said.
He also dismissed claims that nomination forms would be restricted to certain individuals, insisting that they remain open to all qualified aspirants.
Meanwhile, INEC has fixed the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
The electoral body also stated that party primaries, including the resolution of disputes, are expected to take place between April 23 and May 30, 2026, with campaigns set to commence in August and September 2026 for federal and state elections respectively.
