APC rules out automatic tickets for defecting governors

The leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has ruled out the granting of automatic tickets to governors who recently defected to the ruling party or are expected to do so ahead of the 2027 elections.

Governors affected by the decision include Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, and Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers states, who have already joined the APC. The party leadership also said the same rule would apply to Abba Kabir Yusuf, whose defection is considered imminent.

A member of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, said joining the ruling party from another platform does not automatically translate into a return ticket.

Backing this position, the party’s director of publicity, Bala Ibrahim, said the APC would operate an open and democratic process for all aspirants.

Reacting to the development, the national publicity secretaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ini Ememobong, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Oladipo Johnson, said the decision was expected and warned that the defecting governors had made political miscalculations.

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Among PDP governors who have moved to the APC are Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), and Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers). The APC leadership in Kano State has also indicated that Governor Yusuf’s defection could happen soon.

Beyond the governors, several members of the National Assembly, state lawmakers, former governors, ministers, and party leaders have also crossed over from the PDP to the APC in recent months.

While critics argue that many of the defections are aimed at securing re-election tickets, an APC NWC member dismissed that view, linking the influx to President Bola Tinubu’s performance.

“I believe it is wrong to assume that people are defecting solely to secure re-election. Many of those joining the All Progressives Congress are doing so because of the achievements of President Bola Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda, which is delivering positive results across various aspects of national life,” he said.

He added that the APC had already made it clear that even the president would not receive an automatic ticket.

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“That said, it is important to recall that the APC, sometime last year, clearly stated its position and made it known that even the President would not be granted an automatic ticket… The party has made it clear that the process will be open to any Nigerian who is a member of the APC and wishes to contest for the office of President.”

According to him, the same rule applies to governors.

“There will be no automatic tickets for any of them. They must contest and earn their tickets through the party’s democratic process,” he said.

In a separate interview, Ibrahim reiterated that automatic tickets were not under consideration.

“The issue of automatic tickets is not something that is on the table now, not just for Kano but for anybody,” he said.

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“The party has not decided on giving anybody an automatic ticket, even in the case of the President.”

Reacting, Ememobong said the defecting governors would soon regret their decisions.

“We have said it before that their defection is not in the interest of Nigerians or even the people they govern in their respective states. The move was purely driven by selfish motives,” he said.

Johnson also expressed scepticism, saying governors were often lured with promises that later proved hollow.

“As is usually the case in the APC, they try to lure you in, and once you are in, they do not provide the ground rules,” he said.

Attempts to reach the APC national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, were unsuccessful as of press time.