APC Primary: We’re Exploring Adoption Of Consensus Method, Says Bago

The Governor of Niger State, Hon. Mohammed Umaru Bago, has said the state is exploring the adoption of  the consensus method of primary election to nominate the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates for the 2027 polls.

Bago stated this while addressing journalists shortly after he submitted his expression of interest and nomination forms to APC officials in Abuja on Wednesday.

He, however, noted that where the consensus method does not work, the state would resort to a direct primary election.

“We are trying to build consensus across the state, but where consensus cannot be built, then we’ll go for direct primaries,” he said.

He also commended President Bola Tinubu and the party’s national leadership for adhering to due process in the nomination of candidates.

“So far so good. So far so good. Democracy is in action. We want to thank the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, my father, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for allowing the party to follow due process.

“Today, one of the exercises we have done is that every other person who has obtained forms will go and complete them, submit them and verify them before screening.

“So it does not isolate any governor or any senator or any representative or any state assembly member. Everybody must come here and do that exercise. So this is very, very important,” Bago said.

The former House of Representatives member also expressed appreciation to the Niger state farmers who purchased the N50 million worth of forms for him out of the total of N150 million they had contributed to support his re-election.

He said it is “exciting, elating, humbling, because people who live from hand to mouth because of some of the policies of this government have been able to have more resources now on their own.

“They contributed money—some gave 1,000, some 2,000—and contributed over N50 million naira. In fact, right now I still have an additional N100 million that they gathered.

“So actually, they got over N150 million, and they used 50 million naira to buy the form and give it to me. And that has also motivated me. As you can see, last week, last weekend, the First Lady of this country, my mother, was in Minna to flag off the distribution of mechanisation and also inputs for the 2026 farming season,” he added.