APC Leadership Rejects Automatic Tickets for Defecting Governors Ahead of 2027 Elections

Top officials of Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have declared that recently defected governors, including Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno, Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, and Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, will not receive automatic tickets to contest future elections, party leaders confirmed in Abuja on Tuesday.

The decision, according to the party, is aimed at upholding internal democracy and ensuring that all aspirants emerge through due process rather than political privilege.

The clarification comes amid a wave of defections from opposition parties into the APC, particularly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Several governors, federal lawmakers, and other prominent politicians have recently switched allegiance to the ruling party, fuelling speculation that the moves were strategically designed to secure re-election under the APC platform.

However, a member of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke anonymously due to lack of authorisation to address the media, insisted that joining the party does not translate into guaranteed candidacy.

He stressed that all aspirants would be subjected to the same democratic procedures regardless of their political status.

“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,” the official said.

“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… This same principle applies to all governors, whether they have been long-standing members of the party or recent entrants, including the governors of Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers states, and others.

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

The position was reinforced by the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, who reiterated that the party remains committed to providing a level playing field for all members.

“The issue of automatic tickets is not something that is on the table now, not just for Kano but for anybody. The party has not decided on giving anybody an automatic ticket, even in the case of the President,” Ibrahim stated.

“What the party has done, and still stands by, is that it will give a level playing field to everyone, regardless of status. Everyone will be given equal rights to contest,” he further explained.

In recent months, the APC has received a number of high-profile defectors from the PDP, including Governors Eno, Kefas, Fubara, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, and Peter Mbah of Enugu State. Political sources also suggest that Kano State Governor Yusuf may soon formalise his expected move to the ruling party.

While the defectors have cited various political and developmental reasons for their decisions, critics argue that the moves are primarily motivated by personal political survival.

Reacting to the development, opposition parties expressed little surprise at the APC’s stance. PDP National Publicity Secretary Ini Ememobong described the situation as a predictable outcome, accusing the governors of abandoning their original party for selfish interests.

“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,” Ememobong said.

“We also know that the APC is not a party that truly values its members, so this outcome was expected. We saw it coming, and this is only the beginning of their regret,” he added.

Similarly, the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Oladipo Johnson, said the decision not to grant automatic tickets was consistent with the internal politics of the APC.

“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. By the time you realise, it becomes difficult to exit. We are not surprised because the APC will promise them many things, and they may not fulfil any of them,” Johnson remarked.

Efforts to obtain comments from APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka were unsuccessful, as his phone was unreachable at the time of filing this report.

With political realignments expected to intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, the APC leadership maintains that only transparent and competitive internal processes will determine its candidates. For the defecting governors, the message from the ruling party is clear: membership may open the door, but it does not guarantee the prize.