Anxiety, intense lobbying spread as APC holds primaries

Anxiety is mounting in the land as the All Progressives Congress (APC) has postponed its primary election for House of Representatives aspirants scheduled for Friday.

The primaries will now hold on Saturday, May 16, 2026.

Aspirants were seen moving around their wards and constituencies, lobbying and canvasing support ahead of the election.

Apparently aware of the magnitude of tension in the air, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has already cautioned APC members against engaging in infighting and “do-or-die” politics.

The party’s APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka announced the postponement in a statement issued on Thursday.

He  stated that the previously announced dates for the Senate, State Houses of Assembly, governorship and presidential primaries remain unchanged.

According to the party, the revised schedule for the primaries is as follows:

House of Representatives — Saturday, May 16, 2026

Senate — Monday, May 18, 2026

State House of Assembly — Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Governorship — Thursday, May 21, 2026

Tinubu, in a statement personally signed by him on Thursday on the commencement of the APC primaries nationwide, Tinubu urged aspirants, party leaders and delegates to conduct themselves peacefully while upholding the principles of internal democracy, fairness and sportsmanship.

The President described the primaries, beginning with those for House of Representatives aspirants and ending with the presidential primary, as crucial to the unity and future of the ruling party.

“We should not play the politics of old; the do-or-die politics that we have put behind us. Politics should never be a zero-sum game,” Tinubu said.

He urged contestants to approach the exercise as an opportunity to strengthen party unity rather than create divisions.

“Election is an essential ingredient of democracy. Where consensus fails, I urge us all to go into the primaries as brothers and sisters.

“All participants in the primaries, as contestants or voters, must keep the peace and be ready to play as sportsmen and women in the overall interest of the party and our country,” he stated.

Tinubu also warned against actions capable of undermining democracy and party cohesion, stressing that winners should avoid triumphalism while losers should accept the outcome in good faith.