The All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed claims that it plans to reserve its 2027 presidential ticket solely for President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the party’s National Organising Secretary, Alhaji Sulaiman Argungu, acknowledged that Tinubu has received endorsements at various levels of the party but emphasized that the process remains open to all interested members.
“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. 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. We will not shut the door,” Argungu said.
He clarified that no member will be denied the opportunity to run for president if they so desire.
“We will definitely not close our doors. When the time comes, our timetable will be made known. Anybody who wants to aspire for the presidency under the APC will not be denied the opportunity to purchase the expression of interest and nomination forms to exercise their franchise. We never said we had locked the door. We are only telling people that we appreciate what the President is doing for the people of the country and that he deserves a second term in office when we roundly endorsed him recently. Democracy does not permit dictatorship. While the majority of our members have endorsed President Tinubu, any other aspirant who wishes to contest under the APC platform will still be allowed to do so,” he stated.
Argungu also pointed to APC’s recent victories in bye-elections in states traditionally dominated by the PDP as evidence of growing support for Tinubu and the party.
“The fact that we can secure victory in PDP states shows that Nigerians believe in the progressive agenda of President Tinubu and the APC,” he said.
Addressing reports that his department had been sidelined in party primaries, Argungu rejected the claims, explaining that innovations introduced since 2022 have enhanced teamwork and transparency.
He further assured that the upcoming governorship primary in Ekiti State will remain open and competitive.
“So far, four aspirants, including the serving governor, have purchased forms. Two are men, while two are women, who benefited from the party’s gender-sensitive policy that grants free nomination forms to female aspirants,” Argungu added.
