2027: After Ekiti, APC stakeholders mull consensus option

…Ekiti has set a precedent, template — Ododo lNabena disagrees, says consensus won’t be applied

By Clifford Ndujihe, Politics Editor, Omeiza Ajayi & Rotimi Ojomoyela

FOLLOWING the emergence of Governor Biodun Oyebanji as the consensus candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the June 2026 governorship election in the state, some party stakeholders are rooting for the adoption of the option in 2027.

Those canvassing the consensus option said it would ensure party stability, reduce tension, acrimony and litigation that usually herald combustive primaries.

With many governors elected on the platform of opposition parties defecting to the APC, there are fears that battle for tickets between the ‘newcomers’ and old timers would be intense, and capable of causing implosion in the party, if poorly handled.

According to guidelines, the APC uses direct or indirect mode to choose its candidates and where there is one aspirant following the stepping down of others, consensus suffices and the sole aspirant will be ratified as a consensus candidate in a special Congress or convention.

As it is now, President Tinubu is expected to enjoy the consensus lottery in the absence of a challenger for the APC presidential ticket in 2027.

However, the scenario may be difficult to replicate in 24 other APC states. Currently, APC controls 25 states including Ekiti following the defection of Governor Duoye Diri of Bayelsa State.

Among the 24 states, eight—Lagos, Ogun, Imo, Borno, Kwara, Nasarawa, Bayelsa and Yobe have second term governors, who are not seeking re-election. And three— Akwa Ibom, Enugu, and Delta have first time governors, who recently defected to the APC and would fight for the ticket with old timers

To stand a chance of emerging as a consensus candidate, a party insider said the prospective candidate “must play his cards well and get other aspirants to step down for him. You saw what Oyebanji did in Ekiti. He got all the tendencies including all former governors to be on his side. But every state is not Ekiti.

“So the party has to work hard to achieve consensus in most of the states. You know there is a push-back in many states against defectors, some of whom have been accused of plotting to hijack the party structure in their states.”

How Oyebanji was affirmed

At a colourful Special nomination Congress held at Ekiti Parapo Pavilion in Ado-Ekiti, on October 27, the motion to adopt Oyebanji as consensus candidate was moved by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and seconded by the Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Stephen Aribasoye, in line with Section 84(11) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The governor who was the sole candidate was unanimously affirmed by 885 delegates, five each from 177 wards across the state in line with the party’s internal electoral guidelines.

His emergence followed the withdrawal of Mrs. Atinuke Omolayo and the earlier disqualification of Kayode Ojo and Abimbola Olajumoke, who failed to meet the party’s requirements.

Omolayo, who officially stepped down during the governorship primary, said her decision was based on Governor Oyebanji’s sterling performance and the need to sustain his administration’s developmental strides.

The Consensus Congress Committee led by Kogi State Governor Ahmed Ododo, officially ratified Oyebanji’s candidacy, with Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo as the deputy chairman of the committee.

Ekiti has set a template — Ododo

Announcing the result, Governor Ododo, said the exercise was conducted in line with the Constitution of the APC, Electoral Act and all legal requirements guiding the emergence of a flag bearer.

He commended stakeholders and party members for their peaceful conduct, describing the consensus arrangement that produced Oyebanji as a milestone in the nation’s political evolution.

Ododo said Ekiti has once again set a remarkable precedent in Nigeria’s electoral history, saying that with the successful completion of the exercise, the era of wasting material and human resources on litigation was over.

Nabena disagrees, says consensus won’t be applied

Meanwhile, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mr Yekini Nabena, has picked holes in Governor Ododo’s okaying of consensus as a precedent, accusing him of seeking “shortcuts” in the party’s internal processes out of fear

In a statement, Nabena challenged the governor to explain how he emerged as Kogi State’s chief executive, alleging that Ododo now wants to manipulate the party’s structure to secure his hold on power.

Ododo, who was the Chairman of the APC Governorship Primary Election committee in Ekiti State had commended party stakeholders for agreeing to step down for the incumbent, Governor Oyebanji.

He said the decision had saved Ekiti from possible violence and waste of resources, adding that it also made the work of his committee easier.

He said: “Tell Ododo that me, Yekini Nabena, is asking him: what mode did he use to come in as the governor of Kogi State that he is now looking for a shortcut because he is afraid?”

Taking a direct swipe at Governor Ododo, Nabena argued that the governor himself did not emerge through a consensus process and, therefore, has no moral justification to oppose a more open contest.

“Ododo came into the party without the consensus system. So why now, at this point, is he afraid to do direct or indirect primaries in Kogi State? That means he is afraid because he is not performing.”

The APC chieftain also dismissed the suggestion that the consensus mode of primary could be applied at the presidential level, describing such an idea as impossible and undemocratic.

“It can never be applied because the party is supreme. The party will come up with its own mode of election. You cannot use a consensus. It depends on the state,” he said.

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