Sir: The recent actions taken by the National Executive of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in reviewing and overturning several disputed primary election outcomes across the country represent an important step towards restoring confidence in the party.

By correcting obvious irregularities and ensuring that genuine winners emerge, the party has begun the difficult but necessary process of liberating itself from impunity and repositioning itself for success ahead of the 2027 general elections.

It is against this backdrop that attention must now be focused on the unresolved situation in Benue State. For more than three years, the APC in Benue has, in practical terms, been administered from the Office of Governor Hyacinth Alia.

The independence of the party structure steadily diminished as the state executive and local government executives were allegedly altered at the pleasure of the governor. What ought to have remained an independent political party gradually became an extension of the state government.

The consequences became glaring during the party primaries as officials dispatched by the APC National Secretariat to conduct the primaries were reportedly absent from the designated venues where party members, aspirants and their supporters had gathered.

According to accounts from participants, they waited in vain for the exercise to commence.

The officials later resurfaced, not at any polling venue, but reportedly at the Government House, where results were allegedly prepared and subsequently announced without any known voting process having taken place. If these accounts are accurate, what occurred were not genuine primaries but declarations presented as elections.

Recognising the injustice surrounding several National Assembly primaries, the National Working Committee has already reviewed many disputed outcomes and restored candidates who, according to the party’s findings, were denied the opportunity to contest despite their readiness to face delegates.

That corrective action strengthened confidence that the APC still possesses the institutional capacity to defend internal democracy.

However, two major issues remain unresolved: the Benue governorship primary and the State House of Assembly primaries.

To the knowledge of many party members across the state, no transparent governorship primary was conducted. Likewise, there is widespread contention that no verifiable State House of Assembly primaries took place.

No publicly witnessed accreditation process was conducted, party members were not openly seen casting ballots, and what eventually emerged were declared results rather than outcomes from a transparent electoral exercise.

Questions have also been raised as to whether or not Governor Alia had an officially accredited agent present at the party secretariat when officials from the National Secretariat initially met with aspirants and their representatives before the scheduled primaries.

Whether or not this allegation is ultimately established, it has contributed to growing questions about the credibility of the entire exercise.

For this reason, many party members believe the National Working Committee and the National Executive Committee should apply the same standard of justice to the Benue governorship and State House of Assembly primaries that they applied to the National Assembly contests as Justice cannot be selective.

If irregularities were sufficient to warrant corrective action in one category of elections, similar allegations deserve equal scrutiny elsewhere. The stakes extend far beyond the ambitions of individual aspirants and unless these grievances are resolved fairly, the APC in Benue risks entering the 2027 governorship election deeply divided and politically weakened.

A political party that denies its members confidence in its internal democratic processes may struggle to rally them behind its eventual candidates during the general election.

For more than three years, many residents of Benue have expressed concerns over insecurity, shrinking democratic space and what they perceive as inadequate governance.

Communities have lamented attacks that have prevented them from returning safely to their ancestral homes. Others have raised concerns about freedom of expression, religious liberty and the responsiveness of government to citizens’ complaints.

In a democracy, the ultimate right belongs to the people who should have the opportunity to determine, through a credible electoral process, whether Governor Alia deserves another mandate or whether another individual should lead the state.

That decision belongs to party members during the primaries and to the electorate during the general election, not to a few individuals behind closed doors.

The 2027 governorship election in Benue is likely to serve as a referendum on the performance of the current administration. Such a referendum should begin with credible party primaries because internal democracy remains the foundation of electoral legitimacy.

When party members are denied the opportunity to freely express their preferences during the nomination process, history suggests they often seek other democratic avenues to express that will during the general election.

Suppressed political choices rarely disappear; they usually re-emerge, so the APC still has an opportunity to demonstrate that it is governed by its constitution and internal rules rather than by individual influence.

By ensuring fairness in the remaining Benue primary disputes, the National Working Committee would not only strengthen the integrity of the party but also improve its prospects as preparations for the 2027 elections gather momentum.

Akoso Jesse Lua’Na, a public affairs analyst, wrote in from Abuja.