The push to adopt President Bola Tinubu as the sole candidate for 2027 gained significant momentum during the March 26–28 National Convention at Eagle Square, Abuja.
​Despite the public display of unity, the convention highlighted deep-seated cracks within the party hierarchy. A faction of the party is currently challenging the legitimacy of the National Working Committee (NWC), now led by Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda. Critics argue that the leadership was “handpicked” rather than elected through a truly democratic process.
High-profile aspirants have filed petitions alleging they were denied nomination forms or that positions were pre-allocated, violating the party’s own constitution and the Electoral Act 2026.
Despite the “sole candidate” label, outliers like Osifo Stanley have officially declared their intent to contest the 2027 primaries, testing whether the APC will permit a “direct primary” or stick to its consensus model.
High-profile figures, including Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume and several APC governors (notably Hope Uzodimma), moved and seconded the motion to adopt Tinubu. This was framed as a strategy to ensure continuity and prevent internal friction ahead of the election cycle.
The “sole candidate” move is a classic strategy to project strength, but the legal challenges against the NWC could become a “banana skin” for the party if the courts decide the convention’s processes were flawed.
