The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has ruled out the possibility of printing a single ticket for President Bola Tinubu to contest the party’s primary election for the 2027 presidential election despite endorsing him as the sole candidate of the party.
Speaking at a press conference at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja, on Wednesday, August 27, the National Organising Secretary of the party, Sulaiman Muhammad Argungu, emphasised that the party will permit other members to freely purchase the presidential ticket to contest the party’s primary.
According to the National Organising Secretary: “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 our party. And by extension, other organs have equally done the same endorsements.
“Governors in the states have done the same too. It has also been done in all the six geographical zones of the country.
“But it does not mean that the door is closed. It also means that when the time comes, we will make our timetable known so that anybody who wants to aspire to be the president of this country on the platform of the APC, will not be denied the opportunity to purchase the expression of interest and nomination forms.
“We never said we have locked the door. We are only telling people that we appreciate what President Tinubu is doing for the people of the country and that he deserves a second term in office when we roundly endorsed him recently,” he said.
Argungu equally dismissed the insinuations that his department was sidelined by the immediate past administration of the party to the point of the party turning its primaries into racketeering.
Argungu noted: “We have had a series of national chairmen and those in acting capacity all these while, but all these while we are on top of it because we came up with some new innovations to work as a team.
“Before now, the national secretariat has never had a national organising secretary and deputy organising secretary till 2023. We want to demonstrate before the national working committee and the nation as well that we can work as a team and invite other members of the staff to join us to see what we are doing so that at any given time, anybody can tell you what is actually happening in the national secretariat with regards to the primary election and or any other election.
“I want to confirm that it was in our nature to work as a team that makes people feel the organising department is not on top of it,” he said.
He used the opportunity to thank Nigerians for massively voting for the ruling party in the just-concluded legislative bye-elections across the federation.
“Through the commitment of our leaders, members, and supporters nationwide, the APC emerged victorious in 13 out of the 16 contested seats. This is a remarkable achievement and a reaffirmation of the confidence Nigerians continue to repose in the APC.
“These victories are not just statistics; they are a reaffirmation of the trust Nigerians continue to place in the APC. They demonstrate the strength, resilience, and growing acceptance of our party nationwide.
“They reflect the belief of the Nigerian people in our capacity to deliver purposeful leadership and good governance,” he said.
The national organising secretary also gave an update on the next steps for post-bye-election engagement, announcing that the party will host the newly-elected State and National Assembly members.
“The APC will schedule an Interactive Session with all elected Senators, Members of the House of Representatives, and State House of Assembly members soonest, in Abuja.
“This session will serve as a platform to share ideas and build trust, help chart a common course for engagements at both national and state levels, and strengthen the alignment of our elected representatives with the vision of the APC and the expectations of Nigerians.
“We assure Nigerians that both the President and the APC remain dedicated to their welfare, security, and prosperity. We will continue to deliver dividends of democracy and uphold the trust placed in us by the people,” he said.
Credit: The Sun