The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it will adopt a consensus arrangement to elect its national leaders at the party’s convention scheduled for March 27–28, 2026, in Abuja.
The Assistant Secretary, Media and Publicity of the APC National Convention 2026, Mrs Mary Ikoku, disclosed this on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday.
Speaking on elective positions at primaries, she said she could not provide a definite answer, noting that politics is local and party leaders may adopt different approaches when the time comes.
“APC, for this convention, I am aware and can say that the party is adopting consensus for this convention. As to whether they are adopting consensus for elective positions, I do not have an answer to that because politics is local.
“So, I believe that, at the end of the day, when it comes to the issue of elective positions, the persons who would emerge aren’t often what you would want to make consensus in every space,” Ikoku said.
She also spoke on the provisions of the new Electoral Act, which mandates political parties to register members online within a specified timeframe and outlines modes of candidate selection. The development has drawn criticism from opposition parties, which cite limited time to comply.
While acknowledging that the provisions pose challenges for all political parties, Ikoku described the opposition’s complaints as a sign of unpreparedness.
“We have an electoral law that defines the models for these elections. Direct primaries and consensus have been allowed, while indirect primary has been taken out. That is the current law of the nation, passed and assented to. Now, why do you think other political parties will have issues with that?
“That would be to say there are levels of unpreparedness of these political parties. Any political party that is worth its salt should not wait till election season to start preparing for the run for office and all of these congresses. It is something they would have planned ahead of time. So, when you are not proactive as a party, these kinds of situations can challenge you deeply,” she said.
Ahead of the convention, the ruling party on Tuesday screened aspirants for positions in its National Working Committee (NWC), including National Chairman hopeful, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary aspirant, Ajibola Basiru.
Also screened were several incumbent NWC members seeking to retain their positions, such as National Youth Leader Dayo Israel, Deputy National Chairman (North) Ali Bukar Dalori, National Legal Adviser Prof Abdulkarim Abubakar Kana, National Woman Leader Mary Alile Idele, and National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka, among others.