President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed deep displeasure with how the All Progressives Congress legislative primaries were conducted and has distanced himself from widespread reports of candidate imposition, directing the party’s national leadership to take corrective action.
Reliable sources at his Bourdillon residence in Ikoyi said the President was visibly unsettled after a late-night meeting with South-West APC leaders. “I am a party constitutional democrat. Yes, I gave governors the privilege to coordinate and take charge of party affairs in their respective states, but I did not ask anyone to impose candidates indiscriminately. Even where necessary, no one should be a judge in his own case,” he told the meeting, according to participants.
Tinubu said he had moved to address the fallout, instructing the National Chairman and National Secretary to restore the party’s integrity where free and fair primaries did not take place. “Where free and fair primary elections did not take place, I have directed the National Chairman and National Secretary to do the needful in restoring the integrity of the party,” he was quoted as saying.
The intervention follows mounting tensions nationwide after APC legislative primaries in states including Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Ondo, Imo, Rivers, Benue and Adamawa. Aggrieved aspirants and party members have alleged irregularities, voter intimidation, candidate imposition and the deliberate sidelining of delegates.
Responding to the crisis, APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda warned that any member or aspirant found instigating violence or working to undermine the process would face severe disciplinary measures, including immediate suspension.
