2027 presidential ticket open to all, APC insists

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has insisted that it will not be issuing an automatic presidential ticket to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the 2027 general election.

The ruling party stated that the contest remains open to all qualified members of the party.

The party’s National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Argungu, stated this at a press briefing at the APC national secretariat in Abuja.

Argungu said while the party’s leadership, including the National Working Committee (NWC), state governors, and zonal organs, had earlier endorsed President Tinubu as the preferred candidate, such endorsement does not foreclose the constitutional right of other party members to contest.

“It will be the wish of the party, and we, the NWC of the party, have already endorsed President Tinubu as the next presidential candidate of the party. And by extension, other organs have equally done the same thing,” Argungu said.

“Governors in the states have done the same too. It has also been replicated in all six geographical zones of the country. But it does not mean that the door is closed,” he added.

He explained that the endorsement of the President was merely an expression of internal support, not a legal or procedural barrier to other aspirants.

According to him, “When the time comes, we will make our timetable known so that anybody who wishes to aspire for the office of President on the platform of the APC will not be denied the opportunity to purchase the nomination forms.”

This is coming amid growing speculation that the ruling party had already concluded plans to hand President Tinubu an automatic second-term ticket, following a series of endorsements by key party figures and governors.

This position indicates that the 2027 APC presidential primary is open to contest — allowing other aspirants within the party to challenge the incumbent if they so desire.

About The Author

Dele Fashomi

Dele Fashomi, seasoned journalist and communication teacher, is a holder of Master of Arts degree in Communication and Language Arts from the University of Ibadan in 1992/93.

Earlier, he had bagged a Bachelor degree from the same university in 1984, after which he proceeded to the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos, in 1990, for a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

He had done many courses in communication, including the EU-BBC Editing Course in 2002.

Mr. Fashomi combines effectively the practice, research and teaching of communication. And to date, he has published two academic works in communication: Issues in Communication Technology and Policy (2010) and Economic and Social Issues in Advertising and PR (2013).

He had his first break in the Nigerian media in Concord Newspapers in 1990 and today, he has over two and half decades experience earned in several newspapers.

He has been part of many start-ups, such as The Republic (1987), The Comet (1999), The Anchor 2001 – 2002; Sun Newspapers (2003); Westerner newsmagazine (2005 – 2010) as Editor; National Life (2011) as Sunday Editor, and Newswatch Newspapers (2012- 2016) as Daily Editor.

Dele Fashomi is now the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Newstide247.com newspaper online, which he started in July 2015. He is also into biography writing, with many books in his trail, some of which he wrote alone and one he co- authored with his mentor, Mr Dare Babarinsa, entitled:  Olabiyi Durojaiye – DARE TO BE DiFFERENT. He also guided and collaborated with Pa Olatunji Odusanya in writing his autobiography – AGAINST ALL ODDS. There are many other books in the works under his pen.

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