2027: Tinubu Gives Governors Free Hand to Conduct APC Primaries – Bago

Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State has disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has empowered governors of states controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to oversee party primaries and determine candidates ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Bago made this known after a meeting of APC governors with President Tinubu on Thursday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to the governor, the meeting gave the governors an opportunity to appreciate the President for his support for both the party and state administrations under the APC platform.

He said President Tinubu gave them what he described as a “marching order” to proceed with party primaries in line with the amended Electoral Act 2025.

“He gave us a matching order on what to do for him. He has given and ceded his executive power to the governors to go ahead and conduct primaries based on the Electoral Act, either through consensus or direct primaries,” Bago said.

He added that the President reaffirmed his support for the governors’ decisions and gave them full approval to proceed.

“So he has reiterated his support for our decision, and he has given us a go ahead,” he stated.

The meeting, which was initially scheduled for 4 p.m. at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, was later moved to the Conference Room of the President’s Office and commenced around 5 p.m.

Among the governors present were Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, Peter Mbah of Enugu State, and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, while some states were represented by their deputy governors.

The development is expected to shape early preparations within the ruling party as political alignments begin ahead of the 2027 elections.