APC Elects New Leaders, PDP Faction Sets For Convention

Delegates from various state chapters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) converged on Eagle Square, Abuja, on Friday for the party’s eighth elective national convention.

The convention is attended by President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, APC governors, as well as leadership and members of the National Assembly who belong to the party.

The delegates, numbering 8,453, were re-elected, with almost all serving members of the NWC re-elected, and just three replaced by new entrants through consensus.

However, three members of the immediate past NWC did not return. They are former Deputy National Chairman (South), Hon. Emma Eneukwu (Enugu); Deputy National Organising Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru (Anambra); and National Financial Secretary, Hon. Bashir Gumel (Jigawa).

The new NWC members include: National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda (Plateau); Deputy National Chairman (North), Hon. Abubakar Dalori (Borno); Deputy National Chairman (South), Dr Ben Nwoye (Enugu); National Secretary, Senator Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru (Osun); Deputy National Secretary, Prof. Abdulkarim Abubakar Kana (Nasarawa); National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mu’azu Bawa Rijau (Niger); Deputy Vice Chairman (North East), Dr Mustapha Salihu (Adamawa); National Vice Chairman (North West), Hon. Mohammed Datti (Kaduna); National Vice Chairman (South East), Dr Ijeomah Arodiogbu (Imo); National Vice Chairman (South South), Hon. Victor Giadom (Rivers) and National Vice Chairman (South West), D. I. Kekemeke (Ondo).

Others are National Legal Adviser; Muritala Aliyu Kankia (Katsina), National Treasurer: Uguru Matthew Ofoke (Ebonyi), National Financial Secretary; Haruna Ginsau (Jigawa), National Organising Secretary: Suleiman  Argungun (Kebbi), National Welfare Secretary: Hon. Ignatus Nwapa (Abia), National Publicity Secretary: Felix Morka (Delta), National Auditor: Sen Abubakar Maikafi (Bauchi)’ National Women Leader: Dr. Mary Alile-Idele (Edo), National Youth Leader: Abdullahi Dayo Israel (Lagos), Special (Persons With Disability) Leader: Tolu Bankole (Ogun), Deputy National Organising Secretary:  Hon. Emeka Okafor (Anambra), Deputy National Women Leader; Hon. Zainab Ibrahim (Taraba) and Deputy National Financial Secretary: Hon. Hamma-Adama Ali Kumo (Gombe) and Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Duro Meseko.

They were immediately sworn in by Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, a lawyer and Secretary of the Election Sub-committee of the party.

The newly re-elected National Chairman, Prof. Yilwatda, in his acceptance speech, assured President Bola Tinubu, other party leaders, and members that he will not fail them.

He said: “I give you a clear and bold assurance that we will not falter, I will not fail you, rather together, we will step forward to be counted when it matters most.

“I urge all our members and supporters to remain steadfast and united, because we stand together stronger as a political party with unity, progress will be steady and enduring, and our victories are assured.”

On the other hand, a faction of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, is set to hold its national convention between Sunday and Monday.

Wike confirmed that the national convention will take place as scheduled on 29 March (Sunday) and 30(Monday), noting that efforts to reconcile aggrieved members will continue beyond the convention.

He stated that about 2,500 delegates are expected to attend the gathering, as the party positions itself for the 2027 general elections.

Wike spoke on Friday night after inspecting the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Velodrome in Abuja, the convention venue, where he expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness while downplaying internal disagreements and ongoing legal challenges.

He dismissed the appeal filed at the Supreme Court by the Tanimu Turaki group, insisting that it would not affect the planned convention.

The minister also expressed optimism about the party’s future, declaring that the PDP would surprise Nigerians in the next general elections.

Wike said, “There is room for accommodation. The PDP is a very large party. Look at the umbrella, it is wide enough to accommodate everyone.

“I have always said that in any group, there will be grievances. You cannot expect everyone in a family of two or three people to be always satisfied, let alone a party with millions of members. There will always be a few who are not happy.

“We have agreed to sit down with them, understand their concerns, and see how we can accommodate them. What is most important is the overall interest of the party.”

He maintained that reconciliation within the party would not end with the convention, describing it as a continuous process aimed at strengthening unity ahead of future elections.

The inspection tour was attended by key figures, including the Chairman of the National Convention Planning Committee, Okezie Ikpeazu; the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Mao Ohuabunwa; the Chairman of the National Caretaker Working Committee, Mohammed Abdulrahman; and the National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, among others.

Meanwhile, the Kabiru Turaki-led faction of the PDP has asked the Supreme Court to restrain the faction loyal to Wike from conducting its scheduled national convention.

The Turaki-led PDP faction on Friday filed an appeal against the Court of Appeal’s judgment, which upheld the nullification of its national convention held in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, in November 2025.

In the appeal, the PDP faction argued that the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court lack jurisdiction over the matter.

In October 2025, the federal high court in Abuja stopped the PDP faction led by Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, and Bala Mohammed, governor of Bauchi, from proceeding with its national convention scheduled for November 15 and 16 in Ibadan.

James Omotosho, the presiding judge, ruled that the evidence before the court showed that the party failed to hold valid state congresses before the planned convention, as stipulated in the 1999 constitution, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines, and its own constitution.

Despite the ruling, the PDP national working committee (NWC) of the faction went ahead with the national convention in Ibadan.

The Ibadan convention produced Turaki as national chairman of the faction and other members of the NWC.

However, the faction loyal to the FCT minister did not participate in the convention but rather constituted a parallel NWC, board of trustees (BoT) and national executive committee (NEC).

On March 9, the Court of Appeal in Abuja affirmed the judgment of a Federal High Court, which restrained the conduct of the Ibadan Convention.

The three-member panel of the appellate court dismissed the PDP NWC appeal challenging the jurisdiction of the federal high court to entertain the suit.

Ahead of the 2027 general election, the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), released new regulations and guidelines for election expenses for political parties.

The electoral umpire expressed confidence that the new regulations would foster a more transparent general election next year.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, who stated this at a consultative meeting with leaders of political parties on the review of the regulations and guidelines, said the commission cannot conduct the 2027 elections with a 2022 roadmap.

Amupitan spoke as the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) warned that lapses observed during the 2023 general election must not recur.

He said the process leading to every credible election begins long before polling day; it starts with the transparency of the processes that produce the candidates.

The INEC chairman said the Commission was presenting the revised regulations and guidelines put together by the Commission to the parties not merely as regulators and political actors, but as joint custodians of Nigeria’s democratic future.

“As you are all aware, these regulations have been formulated under the powers granted to INEC by our Constitution and the Electoral Act and represent a significant review of the regulations made in 2022, now meticulously aligned with the recently enacted Electoral Act of 2026,” he said.

Amupitan said the review became necessary because the commission cannot navigate a 2027 horizon using a 2022 map.

“In particular, mention must be made of section 93(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, which states that election expenses incurred by a political party for the management or the conduct of an election shall be determined by the Commission in consultation with the political parties.

“Consequently, we would like the political parties to take special note of Clause 40(4) & (5) of the draft regulation dealing with election expenses of political parties for the management of party primaries and for the conduct of elections.

“The commission has concluded a clause-by-clause realignment of our regulations and guidelines to ensure they are not only legally airtight, but operationally in sync with the new Electoral Act. It is our hope that these updated guidelines will foster a more transparent, fair, and equitable electoral landscape for all stakeholders involved,” he said.

In another development, the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, resigned over the week.

His spokesperson, Ibrahim Shuaibu, confirmed the development to The PUNCH on Friday, stating that the resignation had been formally communicated.

“Yes, it is true. The deputy governor has resigned from his position,” he said, declining to provide further details on the circumstances surrounding the decision.

Although no official reason for the resignation has been given, the development comes amid recent tensions between the deputy governor and the Kano State House of Assembly.

The Assembly had, in recent days, levelled a series of allegations against Gwarzo, including claims of misconduct and issues bordering on the discharge of his official responsibilities.

The lawmakers had also initiated moves that observers described as a prelude to possible disciplinary action, raising concerns about a looming political crisis within the state executive arm.

The resignation also comes amid recent political realignments in Kano following Governor Abba Yusuf’s defection to the All Progressives Congress, a development that has triggered significant shifts within the state’s political and administrative structures.

Also, the National Leader of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, hosted prominent opposition figures at his residence in Kano for Sallah celebrations.

The visitors included the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, now a member of the African Democratic Congress; Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party; and former Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Seriake Dickson, of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

Kwankwaso shared photos of the gathering on his verified X account on Sunday, describing the occasion as a joyful Sallah celebration.

He wrote, “Delighted to host Their Excellencies, Peter Obi, Seyi Makinde, and Seriake Dickson at my Kano residence for this joyful Sallah celebration.