• 8,453 delegates to elect new APC leaders
• FG orders civil servants to work from home
• Masari: Why we refused to sell forms to some aspirants
• ADC leaders sowed seed of one-party state in Nigeria, says Okechukwu

All is set today for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to hold its much-touted national convention, with far-reaching decisions expected to be reached ahead of the 2027 general elections.

As the party’s highest decision-making organ, the convention comes on the heels of recently concluded ward, local government, state and zonal congresses conducted nationwide, leading to the expected climax, which is the official endorsement of President Bola Tinubu for a second term.

President Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, governors, federal and state lawmakers, state party chairmen, members of the National Working Committee (NWC), former governors, ex-party chairmen, and other key stakeholders will be among the 8,453 delegates expected at the Eagles Square, venue of the convention.

At the heart of discussions is the political future of President Tinubu, particularly the prospect of his re-election bid in 2027. Although the president is yet to formally declare his intention to seek a second term, party insiders say the issue will feature prominently during deliberations concluding in positive affirmation for the president to continue his reforms and ‘good works’.

Earlier this year, APC stakeholders at a summit in Abuja passed a vote of confidence in Tinubu and endorsed him as the party’s preferred candidate for the next presidential election. The endorsement, backed by members of the National Working Committee (NWC), governors and federal lawmakers, was widely interpreted as a strong signal of internal support for continuity.

However, party officials have since clarified that the endorsement does not preclude internal democracy. The APC National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Argungu, had stated that the party would provide a level playing field for all aspirants interested in contesting the presidential ticket. According to him, nomination and expression of interest forms will be made available to any qualified party member willing to challenge Tinubu.

Chairman of the National Convention Central Coordination Committee, Aminu Bello Masari, and the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, yesterday addressed key concerns regarding the party’s budget, security for travelling delegates, and the controversial use of consensus and zoning to fill party offices. Defending the party’s decision to restrict certain offices to specific geopolitical zones, Masari described the move as a “strategic necessity” to ensure national balance and party stability.

He warned that individuals attempting to purchase forms for offices not zoned to their regions were likely “agents of confusion. APC is a responsible party. In line with federal character, all offices are zoned. If you are contesting for an office that is not zoned to your zone, how can you say you are being democratic? We suspect these kinds of people are interested in destroying our party, which we will not agree to”, he declared.

Responding to rumours of potential litigation over the zoning formula, the former Katsina governor noted that the party had not been served any court processes. “If we are served, we will take notice of that. You can only hold something that you have,” he added.

Addressing questions regarding the convention’s total cost, Idris explained that the party is utilising a “self-adjusting” budgetary mechanism to manage resources effectively. He dismissed concerns about the budget for the convention, saying the party was still working on an adjustable budget.

For a hitch-free exercise, the Federal Government has instructed civil servants based at the Federal Secretariat in Abuja to work remotely today. The directive was conveyed in an official circular signed by Abdul Garba, Permanent Secretary of the Service Welfare Office, on behalf of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

According to the notice, several access routes around the Federal Secretariat Complex—covering Phases I, II and III—will be shut from Friday, March 27, through Saturday, March 28, 2026, due to the event. “All Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments, Agencies and Offices located within the Federal Secretariat, Phases I, II & III are hereby informed of the closure of all access roads leading to and around the said Federal Secretariat Complex, from Friday, 27th to Saturday, 28th March 2026,” the statement read.

Authorities explained that the road closures are necessary because of activities scheduled at Eagle Square, the venue for the APC gathering. “This is due to the use of Eagle Square for the National Convention of the APC on the said dates,” the circular stated. As a result, employees whose offices fall within the affected areas have been directed to stay off-site for the day.

Another major highlight of the convention will be the election of a new crop of national officers to steer the party’s affairs. The exercise is expected to reaffirm the APC’s leadership structure ahead of the 2027 elections. Already, the party has concluded the screening of aspirants vying for positions within the National Working Committee (NWC). About 30 aspirants were assessed by the National Convention Aspirants’ Screening Committee, chaired by Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji.

Among those cleared are the party’s National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, and National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, alongside 28 others. Reports indicate that most of the NWC members are contesting unopposed, suggesting a consensus-driven approach to leadership selection.

Party sources disclosed yesterday that the convention is also billed to ratify timelines for the party’s primaries for presidential, governorship and National Assembly elections, in line with guidelines issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It will also decide the mode of primaries. INEC has fixed April 23 to May 30, 2026, as the window within which all political parties must conduct their primaries. This timeline imposes a tight schedule on parties.

Another critical issue on the agenda is campaign financing, particularly for the presidential election. Also, the influx of high-profile defectors into the APC is another sensitive issue for discussion. In recent months, several governors, lawmakers and political heavyweights have crossed over from opposition parties, significantly boosting the APC’s numerical strength.

However, the development has also triggered internal concerns, particularly over allegations that some defectors were promised automatic tickets as part of negotiations. It was gathered that the issue of automatic tickets is likely to generate heated debate at the convention, as stakeholders weigh the need to accommodate new entrants against the imperative of rewarding loyalty and maintaining internal cohesion.

Party officials further revealed that one of the major items on the agenda is the review of the party’s electronic membership registration and the planned submission of its digital register to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The digital register, which captures verified membership data nationwide, is considered critical to strengthening internal party processes and enhancing transparency.

The development came against the backdrop of provisions in the Electoral Act, 2026, which mandates all political parties to submit their updated digital membership registers to INEC not later than April 2, 2026.

Failure to meet this deadline could result in severe consequences, including the risk of exclusion from participation in the 2027 general elections.

Meanwhile, a former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has accused leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) of sowing the seed of a one-party state, saying they are currently entrenching it by actions capable of undermining Nigeria’s multi-party democracy.

Speaking to journalists in Enugu yesterday, Okechukwu dismissed as “unfounded”, statements by the ADC leaders that the APC is fostering a one-party state in Nigeria. Okechukwu said the current leadership of the ADC, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, should instead be held accountable for sowing the seed of a one-party state.

According to him, the alleged drift toward a one-party state can be traced to the 2022 presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where the zoning convention was violently breached; consequently, the party atrophied.

Okechukwu described the zoning principle as a foundational element of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic, carefully designed by both military and civilian statesmen to promote unity, equity, inclusion, and national cohesion. He stressed that adherence to zoning has historically ensured a sense of belonging across Nigeria’s diverse regions; therefore, not falsehood.

“One is therefore, at a loss that respected eggheads in the ADC, like Dele Momodu, regrettably, are not only stoking hatred by degrading the zoning convention as falsehood but erroneously fanning the embers of disunity between the North and South.

Momodu was quoted as saying that “there has never been a time when the North did eight years and the South automatically had to do eight years. The Constitution does not stop anyone from contesting.”

Okechukwu, however, cited several historical precedents to justify the premium of the 4th Republic zoning convention. “The personal sacrifices made by prominent politicians like flamboyant Abubakar Rimi, Adamu Ciroma, Umaru Shinkafi, Dr Sola Saraki et al, without which Dele’s darling couldn’t have been vice president.

“Secondly, we must not forget how Olusegun Obasanjo, one of our foremost patriots, denied his friend, Dr Peter Odili, his support and insisted on adherence to the zoning convention that the president must come from the North.

“Thirdly, Dele should please recall how Atiku bolted away in 2014 PDP’s presidential primary, shouting on top of his voice that President Jonathan had usurped the turn of the North.

“Lastly is the truism that in the 2018 PDP’s presidential primary, which Atiku won, hosted by Nyesom Wike, then governor of Rivers State in Port Harcourt, no Southern presidential aspirants contested in obedience to the zoning convention, which is also expressly stated in Section 7 of PDP’s Constitution,” he said.

He added that equity, justice and embodiment of a sense of belonging are the metaphor of zoning convention, which remains the foundation for the unity, peace and prosperity of the country.