The All Progressives Congress (APC) has released the guidelines and inaugurated committees for its 2026 presidential primary election, adopting a direct primary system that will allow all registered party members nationwide to participate.
In a document issued by the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja, the APC said the direct primary will be held across all 8,809 wards in the country on May 24, 2026.
According to the guidelines, every registered party member will be eligible to vote for their preferred presidential aspirant.
The party added that results from each ward will be collated at the local government level before being transmitted to the national collation centre in Abuja.
It also stated that the exercise across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory will be supervised by designated state coordinators and collation officers appointed by the party leadership.
The APC noted that earlier guidelines on the “Procedure for the Conduct of Direct and Consensus Mode of Primaries,” submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on May 15, 2026, will also apply to the presidential primary.
Anyim heads primary committee
Former Senate President, Senator Pius Anyim, has been appointed chairman of the Presidential Primary Election Committee.
Other members include former Senate President Ken Nnamani, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, former deputy governor Grace Titi Laoye-Ponle, former Speaker Yakubu Dogara, former Governor Idris Wada, while Senator Sanusi Musa will serve as secretary.
The party also constituted a Presidential Primary Election Appeal Committee chaired by former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, with Samuel Pwajok as secretary and Patricia Etteh as member.
Governors, others named coordinators
Several serving and former governors were also appointed as state coordinators and collation officers.
Among them is Governor Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State, who recently withdrew from the party’s governorship primary.
Others include Hope Uzodimma (Imo), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Douye Diri (Bayelsa), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Babagana Zulum (Borno), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), and Uba Sani (Kaduna).
Also listed are Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Mohammed Umar Bago (Niger), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), and former Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.
“The organisation and 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 collate results from all local government areas and present same to the Presidential Primary Election Committee in Abuja on 24 May 2026,” the document partly read.
It added that provisions of the party’s earlier guidelines on direct and consensus primaries, submitted to INEC, will apply “mutatis mutandis.”
