Politics

2023: Consensus Plan Unsettles APC, Protesters Warn Against Imposition

Published

4 years ago

May 6, 2022

Aspirants Number Hits 30, 12 Pick Forms

Tinubu, Osinbajo, Onu Supporters Disagree

The All Progressives Congress has begun moves to adopt the consensus method at its presidential primary due to the high number of presidential aspirants which has almost hit 30, The PUNCH can confirm.

Despite the decision of the party to peg the cost of its presidential form at N100m, more aspirants are joining the race.

It was gathered that the high cost of the form and the inclusion of voluntary withdrawal form were part of the moves aimed at adopting the consensus method at the primary scheduled for May 30.

However, aspirants and their campaign groups, who had got wind of the planned adoption of the consensus method, in separate interviews with The PUNCH, were divided over the plan with some of them warning that it could lead the party into a major crisis.

While campaign groups of the APC National leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, warned against imposing the method, organisations campaigning for the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, said their principal would emerge the consensus candidate.

On his part, the Minister of Niger Delta, Godwill Akpabio, in an interview on Channels Television, said consensus and selection were not elections.

But a group backing the adoption of The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, said other aspirants should step down for the minister.

The APC had pegged the cost of its form at N100m all in a bid to reduce the number of aspirants and ensure a seamless presidential primary. The cost, however, failed to scare aspirants.

“The reason we pegged the price at N100m was to separate the pretenders from the contenders. But the opposite has happened and we are heading for a crisis if things are not properly handled. So, the NWC (National Working Committee) will meet and decide on the next step since NEC (National Executive Committee) has relinquished its power for the time being.

“The President prefers consensus that is why it is included in our forms but the problem now is that it will be difficult to push a consensus when there are too many aspirants,” a member of NEC told The PUNCH on the strict condition of anonymity.

So far, 12 aspirants have purchased the presidential form. They are: Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, APC stalwart, Bola Tinubu, the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuiba, Lagos pastor, Tunde Bakare, Governor Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa State, his Ebonyi State counterpart, Dave Umahi, and Senator Rochas Okorocha, Governor Yahaya Bello; the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Ms Unu Onaneye, the only female and Nicholas Felix.

Others who have joined the race and are expected to purchase the form include Governor Ben Ayade, Ex-Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Governor Kayode Fayemi, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, Senator Orji Kalu, ex-Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, and Senate President Ken Nnamani.

Mr Yakubu Mohammed; Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim; Tien Jack-Rich; Tech Entrepreneur, Adamu Garba; Rev. Moses Ayom; Dr Ibrahim Bello-Dauda; and Ibinabo Dokubo are also expected to pick forms.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Onu; and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva; are expected to join in the coming days. Supporters have also offered to purchase forms for the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele; and former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Tinubu, Osinbajo, Onu supporters disagree

However, while groups loyal to Tinubu rejected the consensus option, those supporting Osinbajo welcomed it.

The Ekiti State Coordinator, South West Agenda for Asiwaju Tinubu, Prince Bamgboye Adegoroye, on Thursday expressed reservation over the much-touted plan by the APC national leadership to impose consensus to produce its presidential candidate.

Adegoroye, who wondered why APC would not adopt indirect primary as done to elect Muhammadu Buhari in 2014, said adopting consensus could be difficult.

He said, “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has the largest followers in APC. The people following Tinubu are more than the APC. In fact, Tinubu’s supporters are in other parties including the Peoples Democratic Party.

“In case of consensus, if it is Tinubu that is picked, it will be well. And if it is not Tinubu, it will be difficult. Why won’t APC go to an elective primary? I don’t believe APC is planning consensus.

“Consensus cannot be imposed. Consensus simply means agreement among all the aspirants. When you start imposing, it is no longer a consensus, it is something else and anything else can happen after. I don’t want to speculate.”

Also in a chat with The PUNCH, Lagos lawmaker and founder of the Tinubu Support Group, James Faleke, said Tinubu would accept any mode of primary that is stated in the APC constitution.

When asked if consensus would be accepted, Faleke, who picked the N100m APC form on behalf of Tinubu last week said, “There is no such thing as consensus in the APC constitution.”

Consensus: APC heading towards disintegration, says party chieftain

An associate of Tinubu, who wished to remain anonymous, said the party would be plunged into a crisis if it insisted on adopting the consensus method.

“The national leadership of the party is aware of the consequences of imposing a presidential candidate in the name of consensus. The effect will be too devastating. On several occasions, the President has said he would not impose a candidate on the party. We hope the leadership of the party will listen to this. We are watching. We want to give the National Chairman, Senator Adamu Abdullahi, the benefit of the doubt.”

Support groups bank on consensus for Osinbajo’s victory

But the Convener of the Osinbajo Grassroots Organisation, Kwara State, Ganiyu Galadima, told The PUNCH during a telephone interview on Thursday that Osinbajo was the most qualified and would emerge as a winner if a consensus candidate was adopted.

He said, “The Electoral Act recognises direct and indirect primaries and a consensus, and a consensus has not in any way violated the laws of the APC. Osinbajo is not above the party, but I want to put it to you that I am very sure that he is going to make the one if there is going to be a consensus. He has the requisite knowledge, he has been groomed in national politics in the last seven years and is aware of the challenges and the successes.

“And now, as far as the presidency is concerned, tell me who among the aspirants has been a vice president? Under normal circumstances, he has the right of first refusal such that even in advanced climes, all the aspirants must support him except if he says he is not interested. So, at the end of the day, if there is a consensus, he is going to be the consensus candidate. None of the aspirants is above the party; the party is supreme and the people will be voting for the party and not the candidate.”

Galadima added that there would be no consequence for the party if it decides on a consensus because all the aspirants would have been carried along.

Also, the leader of Progressives Lawyers for Osinbajo, Mr Kayode Ajulo, told The PUNCH in a telephone interview that Osinbajo had the right of first refusal and would be selected as the consensus candidate.

“Osinbajo is the popular aspiration as it is, and parties all over the world listen to popular aspirations. And when you look at it from the issue of law, the conventions all over the world, Osinbajo has the right of first refusal so whatever may be the consensus adopted by the party, it will take into consideration the right of first refusal which can never be denied to Osinbajo.

“So, from whichever angle we look at it, if it is by popular aspirations, by the way and manner people are rooting for him, mind you he will stand to be the only candidate by popular demand, because in any formula, whether by zoning or consensus or the position of aspiration of the candidates with people and delegates, it all falls on the side of Osinbajo,” he said.

Field Onu, his candidacy will stop discontentment in S’East, group tells APC

However, a political support group, ‘The Patriots For Ogbonnaya Onu’, called on the party to ensure that the South-East produced the presidential candidate of the APC while others step down through a consensus.

The leader of TPFOO and former Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, said this during a visit to Onu in Abuja.

According to him, it was in the interest of equity, justice, fairness, national cohesion and stability for the APC heavyweights to step down for Onu.

He explained that stepping down and supporting Onu would not only save the APC and Nigeria but also ensure that the separatist agitations stop.

Fawehinmi said, “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, VP Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Kayode Fayemi and others are eminently qualified to be the President of Nigeria. But Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, in our opinion, is the most qualified.

“Moreover, we think that it is the time for the South-East to produce Nigeria’s next leader. In the eyes of natural justice and equity and for the reason of fairness, national cohesion and stability, it is the turn of the South-East that constitutes about a quarter of the country’s population.”

Consensus and selections are not elections – Akpabio

Also in an interview on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, said consensus was not a form of election.

Akpabio, however, said he would be happy if the party picks him through a consensus.

“The question of consensus; this is the reason why Section 84(12) could not have worked because you can’t say that consensus is (an) election. And some political parties have in their guidelines, selection. Selection is not an election.

“So, the contemplation of election, in my view, even though the matter is before the court, is that of…as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution, which is general election; that you must resign 30 days to the general elections. So, a consensus is not really an election,” he said

Akpabio said if the party eventually opted for a consensus and he was not picked, he would support whoever emerged.

Group rejects plan to impose Jonathan

Protesters under the aegis of the Youth Wing of the APC on Thursday stormed the national secretariat of the party in Abuja to register their disapproval over alleged plans by the party to impose Jonathan on the party through a consensus.

The protesters numbering over 100 stormed the party’s Headquarters by about 8 am disrupted vehicular movements along the Blantyre Street of the APC.

The protesters under the aegis of APC North-South Patriotic Coalition carried banners and placards saying imposing Jonathan as the APC presidential candidate would ultimately kill the party.

Addressing journalists, the convener of the group, Alhaji Toyin Rahim, wondered how the party would justify bringing someone they had called corrupt and incompetent back to power.

He said, “In the APC today there are presidential aspirants with credible pedigrees and humongous electoral value and capacity. It is not only unnecessary to smuggle Jonathan into our great party, but it is also self-indicating and meaning that our party’s performance in office has been worse than an administration that Nigerians thoroughly rejected and voted APC in 2015.

“What becomes of those who have been party members from inception, who have laboured to build the APC? What becomes of real APC members who have purchased the presidential nomination forms at a whopping sum of N100 million each?

“What becomes of those who will still declare their presidential ambition and buy the form? It is on good authority that former President Jonathan has declared that the only condition that would make him join the APC is if he is assured to get the presidential ticket of APC automatically. This is not going to happen.”

The Spokesperson for the APC, Felix Morka, when contacted on the phone, failed to respond to the calls and messages sent to his phone as of the time of filing this report.

PUNCH.

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Politics

2027: NDC Unveils Electoral Committee Members For Primaries

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has released list of Electoral Committee Members to Conduct primary election.

The exercise is for State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship and Presidential Primaries across all States in Nigeria and the FCT.

This was contained in a statement posted on its verified X handle on Thursday.

The party had provided updates concerning its upcoming Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship, and State Assembly primaries.

According to the party’s National Chairman, Moses Cleopas,
and Barr. Ikenna Alex-Morgan Enekweizu, National Secretary, the primaries are confirmed to take place across the nation on May 29, 2026, adhering to the previously established timetable of May 28 and 29.

Politics

APC: Fubara Has Been Treated Badly, It’s Dangerous For Tinubu – Otubanjo

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The director of research at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Femi Otubanjo, has said the treatment of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in the just concluded All Progressives Congress’, APC, primary poses political danger to President Bola Tinubu.

Otubanjo stated this on Thursday while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, where he also criticised the role being played by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in the political affairs of Rivers State and the All Progressives Congress.

According to him, the handling of Fubara’s political crisis remains one of the most surprising developments in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Otubanjo further argued that Wike, who is not a member of the APC, appears to be dictating political activities within the ruling party in Rivers State.The research director warned that the current political arrangement in Rivers State could negatively affect Tinubu politically, insisting that Wike was pursuing his personal agenda rather than that of the president.

He said: “The treatment of Fubara must be one of the American wonders of Nigerian politics. Fubara has been badly treated. We have a situation in which Nyesom Wike who is not even in the APC is taking the primary decision in the APC. I hope the tactical team of President Bola Tinubu is not sleeping.

“The reality is that what they have done is very dangerous for Tinubu. What has emerged in Rivers today is that Wike is pursuing his own agenda, not Tinubu’s agenda inspite of PBAT and all of that combination.”

“If Wike really wants to pursue Tinubu’s agenda, he must retain Fubara.”

Politics

In Defence Of Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe: The Generational Shift Reshaping Edo Politics

Published

1 day ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

By DAN Osa-Ogbegie

For decades, Edo politics remained trapped within a narrow and predictable cycle of political recycling. The same ageing actors moved endlessly from one office to another, from one administration to the next, and from one political alignment to another, as though leadership in Edo State had become the exclusive inheritance of a permanent political aristocracy.

Meanwhile, thousands of intelligent, energetic, and capable young Edo people watched helplessly from the margins while opportunities for leadership, governance, party administration, and public service remained tightly controlled by individuals whose political relevance dated back several decades.

That unhealthy political culture is now gradually changing.

Today, one of the most important political transformations taking place within the All Progressives Congress in Edo State is the deliberate transition from recycled political gerontocracy to a younger generation of political actors. That transition is unfolding under the leadership of Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State and Leader of the APC in Edo State, together with the State Chairman of the party, Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Predictably, such a shift has unsettled entrenched interests.

Those who became accustomed to monopolising political relevance naturally feel threatened by the emergence of a younger generation that is increasingly assertive, visible, influential, and institutionally empowered. Yet, history teaches a simple lesson: no political structure survives indefinitely without renewal.

No serious political party can continue recycling the same exhausted political machinery forever while expecting innovation, grassroots energy, modern governance ideas, and long-term political sustainability.

That reality appears to be clearly understood by Governor Monday Okpebholo and Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Much of the criticism unfairly directed at Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe in recent times stems from the fact that he has become one of the visible faces of this generational transition within Edo APC. Beneath the noise, propaganda, and political bitterness lies an undeniable truth: the party is consciously opening spaces for younger people in ways not seen for many years.

From the youthful Deputy Chairman of APC in Edo State, Sylvester Aigboboh, to several younger commissioners, Special Advisers, members of the State Executive Council, board chairmen, local government administrators, and strategic appointees across government, the evidence of deliberate political renewal is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.

In Uhunmwode Local Government Area, Hon. Austin Imafidon has emerged as one of the young faces of focused governance and grassroots administration. Beyond politics, he has already established himself successfully in business, bringing into governance the mindset of productivity, enterprise, and modern administrative engagement.

In Etsako, Hon. Sunny Ekpeson has continued to attract national attention as the youngest ALGON Chairman in Nigeria, representing a clear departure from the era where local government leadership was treated as the permanent preserve of ageing political operators disconnected from younger demographics.

In Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Hon. Eric Osawaru represents another example of the younger political generation now entrusted with leadership responsibilities, while in Oredo Local Government Area, Engr. Gabriel Iduseri equally reflects the growing confidence being reposed in younger administrators within the APC structure.

In Owan, Hon. Aitalegbe Ernest, popularly known as “China Boy,” has also emerged as one of the prominent young political figures gaining traction as the incoming Chairman of the local government, further reinforcing the expanding generational transition currently taking shape across Edo State.

The same pattern is visible across government institutions and strategic agencies.

Pastor Stanley Dave Ighodaro, a successful entrepreneur with thriving business interests in Europe, now heads the Edo State Parks and Gardens Agency. His emergence reflects an increasingly important shift towards bringing professionally exposed and globally minded younger individuals into governance and public administration.

Similarly, Kassim Otono, who serves as Special Adviser on Oil and Gas to the Executive Governor of Edo State, represents another example of younger technocratic involvement within the present administration. His inclusion within such a strategic sector underscores the growing confidence being placed in younger professionals and politically aware technocrats within government.

This is how enduring institutions are built.

A political party that refuses to regenerate itself eventually becomes intellectually stagnant, structurally weak, and electorally disconnected from evolving social realities.

Governor Monday Okpebholo deserves commendation for recognising that governance in a rapidly changing society cannot remain permanently tied to political methods and leadership assumptions developed several decades ago. Contemporary governance demands adaptability, technological awareness, stronger grassroots engagement, administrative energy, and a deeper connection with younger populations.

Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe equally deserves credit for helping stabilise the party while managing this difficult but necessary transition process. Generational shifts are never easy within political systems historically dominated by established interests. Resistance is inevitable. Political resentment is expected. Internal anxieties naturally emerge whenever old monopolies begin to weaken.

Leadership, however, requires courage.

The recently concluded primaries further revealed this evolving direction within the APC. The emergence of candidates such as Rt. Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Osazee Igbinovia, Dr. Emmanuel Paddy Iyamu, Omosede Igbinedion, Sir Lucky Eseigbe, and Odianosen Okojie reflects a growing political philosophy that increasingly values capacity, grassroots relevance, contemporary appeal, and generational continuity.

Equally symbolic is the emergence of several young Acting Local Government Council Chairmen who are now candidates of the party in the forthcoming local government elections. That development sends a powerful message across Edo State that political participation is gradually becoming more accessible to younger people with competence, commitment, and organisational value.

For too long, many young people in Edo politics were reduced to political spectators, social media defenders, praise singers, or election-day foot soldiers while actual power remained tightly guarded elsewhere. Such a model was never sustainable.

A society that continuously sidelines its younger generation ultimately weakens its own political future.

The ongoing transition within Edo APC does not amount to hostility towards elders or experienced political actors. Experience remains valuable. Elder statesmen still possess institutional memory and political wisdom that younger actors can benefit from immensely. Mentorship, however, must never become political suffocation. Guidance must never evolve into permanent political domination.

Every generation deserves the opportunity to participate meaningfully in shaping the future it will eventually inherit.

That is precisely why the current direction of the APC leadership in Edo State deserves objective acknowledgement rather than emotional hostility.

Many of those attacking Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe today are not truly angry about party administration. Their deeper discomfort arises from the reality that political influence is gradually shifting away from old centres of control towards a newer generation of actors who may no longer depend entirely on traditional political gatekeepers for relevance or survival.

Societies evolve.

Political cultures evolve.

Leadership itself evolves.

No generation owns political power forever.

Ultimately, the future of Edo State cannot be built exclusively around recycled political veterans whose greatest political moments belong largely to the past. A forward-looking society must continuously create room for younger leadership, newer ideas, fresh administrative energy, and modern political thinking.

That future is already unfolding within the APC in Edo State.

History may eventually remember Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe and Governor Monday Okpebholo as central figures in the difficult but necessary political transition that began moving Edo away from recycled political dominance towards a broader and younger leadership culture capable of preparing the state for a different era.

Daniel Aroren Noah Osa-Ogbegie is a Benin based legal practitioner and public intellectual from Uhunmwode Local Government Area.