What was expected to be a celebration of an expanding ruling party has degenerated into a bitter dispute as the All Progressives Congress (APC) prepares for its 2026 National Convention in Abuja this month.
Governors elected on the party platform are locked in disagreements over the allocation of National Working Committee (NWC) positions, with zoning, presidential ambitions and calculations for the 2027 general elections at the centre of the row.
Multiple senior party sources, who spoke to Daily Sun on condition of anonymity, said the Progressives Governors’ Forum has held at least two closed-door meetings in Abuja that ended without resolution. The main sticking point is which geopolitical zones will fill key NWC offices and who within those zones will name the candidates.
“They are not fighting over principle,” one source said. “They are fighting over power. Every position on that NWC is a lever for 2027.”
Party officials say several key NWC posts are in contention — notably the Deputy National Chairman (North), the National Organising Secretary, the National Publicity Secretary and the Deputy National Publicity Secretary. Control of these offices, governors argue, will be critical in managing delegate lists, primaries and media narratives ahead of next year’s elections.
Sources told Daily Sun that many governors feel blindsided by earlier declarations and are now pressing for a greater share of influence. The North West is reportedly pushing for enhanced representation, while the North Central — which currently provides the National Chairman in Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda — is resisting changes to the status quo.
The APC has inaugurated a National Central Coordinating Committee for the 2026 convention. The ceremony at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja was presided over by National Chairman Professor Yilwatda. Former Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari was named chairman of the committee; former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim is Vice Chairman I; Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara is Vice Chairman II; Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo is treasurer; and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe is secretary.
Several governors on the committee are reported to hold conflicting positions on zoning and have been lobbying from their regions for concessions before any final decisions are made.
Recent defections to the APC have complicated the contest further. New entrants from the Peoples Democratic Party and other parties have in some states installed allies as state party chairmen — notably in Delta, Enugu, Bayelsa and Taraba — giving the defectors substantial control of state party machinery.
Despite the mounting tensions, President Bola Tinubu has not publicly intervened, instead allowing governors a degree of autonomy in managing party affairs, according to party sources.
