Ahead of the commencement of the All Progressives Congress primaries, with Saturday’s House of Representatives primary elections, the North-Central APC Forum has raised concerns that party officials have monetized the exercise.
The APC House of Representatives primaries was initially scheduled for Friday, May 15, 2026, but the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, announced in a statement late on Thursday, May 14, 2026, that the exercise has been rescheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2026. No reason was provided for the change in date.
However, in a statement issued by its Chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, on Friday, the North-Central APC Forum attributed the postponement to the commercialization of the process.
Noting that President Bola Tinubu had advocated for free and fair primaries devoid of rancour and violence, the North-Central APC Forum condemned the alleged commercialization of the primaries and cautioned national officers of the party against undermining the APC through poor management of the exercise.
The Forum observed that barely 24 hours to the new date set for the exercise, the list of aspirants cleared to participate in the primaries has not been released.
The group claimed to have credible information that national officers of the party are soliciting money from aspirants while promising them APC tickets for the general elections.
President Bola Tinubu had on Friday urged APC members to prioritize unity and sportsmanship in the nationwide primaries, warning against rancorous conduct that could compromise the party’s strength ahead of the 2026 general elections.
In the statement signed by Zazzaga, the North-Central APC Forum supported Tinubu’s admonition but added that national officers of the party should be called to order to desist from actions that could precipitate crisis ahead of the general elections.
According to the Forum, feedback from the states indicates that many influential party members are feeling marginalized due to what it described as “the monetization of the primaries by national officers of the party”.