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By Our Correspondent

(with Reports from The Sun)

A major internal war has broken out within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) following controversial senatorial primaries that have pitched the Presidential Villa and the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) against powerful state governors accused of hijacking the process to impose loyalists.

Reliable information emerging from Bourdillon, Ikoyi residence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT), following a late-night meeting with South-West APC leaders Wednesday, hints of the President’s deep displeasure over reports of internal party developments across the nation.

According to sources privy to the meeting, President Tinubu reportedly stated:

“I am a party constitutional democrat. Yes, I gave governors the privilege to coordinate and take charge of party affairs in their respective states, but I did not ask anyone to impose candidates indiscriminately.

Even where necessary, no one should be a judge in his own case.

“Where free and fair primary elections did not take place, I have directed the National Chairman and National Secretary to do the needful in restoring the integrity of the party.”

— PBAT, 15/05/2026.

The development is already generating serious political conversations within APC circles, especially in states where allegations of imposition and manipulated primaries have dominated discussions ahead of the 2027 elections.

What was expected to be a carefully managed exercise ahead of the 2027 general elections has instead descended into chaos, with allegations of manipulation, violence, parallel results, intimidation and open rebellion erupting across several states.

At the centre of the widening crisis is the growing resistance of governors to what party insiders describe as “presidential preferences” allegedly signalled from Abuja for key senatorial tickets.

Investigations revealed that in several states, aspirants believed to enjoy the backing of President Bola Tinubu and the Presidential Villa were either blocked, sidelined or defeated by candidates favoured by governors determined to retain absolute control of party structures within their domains.

In Edo State, the crisis deepened amid reports that First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, had backed former APC governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, for a senatorial ticket. However, conflicting declarations from the primary exercise suggested that the governor’s political machinery ultimately overran the Villa’s preference.

A similar power struggle reportedly played out in Delta State, where party insiders interpreted President Tinubu’s body language as support for former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, for Delta Central, only for the governor to move decisively in another direction.

In Bayelsa State, former senator and media entrepreneur, Ben Murray-Bruce, was also said to have enjoyed the backing of powerful interests in Abuja, but the state governor allegedly ignored those signals and imposed his own political calculations on the process.

The crisis assumed a more dangerous dimension in Ondo State, where the APC senatorial primary for Ondo Central reportedly degenerated into violence, with gunshots and thuggery disrupting the exercise.

Aggrieved aspirants subsequently petitioned the party’s National Chairman, describing the process as a “kangaroo exercise” manipulated by entrenched state interests.

Sources said tensions had already escalated after the APC national leadership rejected a consensus arrangement allegedly backed by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, a move that reportedly set the stage for the breakdown that followed.

In Ogun State, angry party members and lawmakers openly denounced the process as fraudulent and disgraceful.

Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Isiaka Ibrahim, accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of reducing the exercise to a mere affirmation process instead of a democratic primary, alleging widespread manipulation and exclusion of genuine contenders.

The turmoil spread across Kogi, Kwara and Taraba states, where fierce disputes over the conduct and credibility of the primaries further exposed cracks within the ruling party.

In Kogi East, Senator Jibrin Isah rejected the outcome of the exercise, accusing loyalists of Governor Ahmed Ododo of hijacking electoral materials and intimidating his supporters in what he described as a coordinated political ambush.

Kwara Central witnessed scenes of confusion after a controversial list of “cleared aspirants” surfaced hours before the exercise, allegedly containing fictitious details and questionable endorsements. The process was eventually reduced to an affirmation exercise believed to favour the interests of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

In Taraba North, angry youths and party stakeholders openly revolted against the endorsement of incumbent Senator Shuaibu Isa Lau by a screening committee, accusing party leaders of imposing candidates and silencing grassroots voices.

Party insiders disclosed that Nasarawa, Plateau and Rivers states have also emerged as potential flashpoints where the interests of governors sharply conflict with those of the APC national leadership.

In Nasarawa, former governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura reportedly backed a candidate outside the preference of the state structure, exposing deep divisions over whether the party should adopt consensus arrangements or competitive primaries.

In Rivers State, unresolved factional battles within the APC have further complicated the process, with multiple camps already threatening legal and political action over the outcome of the primaries.

Amid the growing turmoil, the APC National Working Committee is said to be quietly reviewing results from several states, with strong indications that some outcomes may be altered, cancelled or outrightly rejected where due process is deemed compromised.

The party had earlier laid the groundwork for possible intervention by warning against the premature announcement of results.

In a disclaimer signed by the Chief of Staff to the APC National Chairman, Albukalreem Bala Kwali, the party insisted that all results circulating in the media remained unofficial until formally reviewed and approved by the NWC.

The directive followed an earlier warning by APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, prohibiting primary committees from announcing results outside Abuja — a move now widely interpreted as an attempt by the national leadership to retain ultimate control over the final outcome of the exercises.

Political observers say the unfolding crisis has exposed a dangerous fault line within the APC — a fierce struggle between a presidency seeking to consolidate authority over the party and governors determined to defend their political empires at all costs.

Analysts warn that how the APC resolves the crisis could determine whether President Tinubu tightens his grip on the ruling party ahead of 2027 or whether governors emerge even more powerful as independent political warlords beyond Abuja’s control.

With lawsuits, petitions and threats of mass defections already looming, the APC now faces one of its most explosive internal reckonings since assuming power, raising serious questions about its ability to project unity and discipline ahead of the next general elections.