Electoral Act: APC governors allege political ambush over direct primaries decision

Barely a week after President Bola Tinubu signed the 2026 Electoral Act Amendment Bill into law, sources indicate that governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are expressing dissatisfaction over the removal of the indirect primary option for party candidate nominations.

A South East governor, speaking anonymously, told reporters that they felt “frustrated and ambushed” by the federal lawmakers who fast-tracked the amendment and secured the president’s assent without sufficient consultation with state executives.

The governor was reportedly accompanied by a colleague from the South West to register concerns over the law, which they claim diminishes gubernatorial influence in the party’s candidate selection.

Under Section 84 of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties can now only nominate candidates through direct primaries or consensus, eliminating the delegate-based indirect primary system previously enshrined in Section 84(2) of the 2022 Electoral Act.

The indirect system had traditionally allowed state governors to wield significant control over the selection of delegates for party primaries.

A credible source close to one APC governor said, “All the governors are committed to supporting President Tinubu, but they are frustrated because the Electoral Bill was signed despite their reservations about the indirect primary option.

They believe they know the grassroots better than those advising the President on direct primaries.”

Despite the discontent, the APC Governors’ Forum chairman and Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, dismissed claims that the governors were outmaneuvered. Speaking through his media aide, Uzodimma said the Electoral Act is a legislative matter that followed due process and that lawmakers acted in the national interest.

He emphasised that governors remain loyal to the party and committed to the overall benefit of Nigerians.

President Tinubu signed the bill last Wednesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, in a ceremony attended by top legislative leaders, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

While the legislation spans 154 clauses, controversy centered on Clause 60, which makes electronic transmission of election results optional, and the deletion of the indirect primary option, an issue that some lawmakers reportedly pushed to limit gubernatorial influence over National Assembly nominations ahead of the 2027 elections.

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