The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has confirmed that it plans to adopt a consensus approach for selecting its national leadership during the party’s convention scheduled for March 27–28, 2026, in Abuja.
Mary Ikoku, Assistant Secretary for Media and Publicity for the APC National Convention 2026, revealed the proposal in an interview with Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday.
Regarding elective posts during primaries, Ikoku stated that the party has not yet decided how to handle them, stressing that decisions may differ depending on local political realities.
She explained, “APC, for this convention, I am aware and can say that the party is adopting consensus for this convention.” As to whether they are adopting consensus for elective positions, I do not have an answer to that because politics is local.
“So, I believe that, at the end of the day, when it comes to the issue of elective positions, the persons who would emerge aren’t often what you would want to make consensus with in every space.”
Ikoku discussed the Electoral Act’s requirements for political parties to register members online and outline candidate selection methods.
She acknowledged that some parties struggled with these requirements, highlighting a lack of preparedness.
“We have an electoral law that defines the models for these elections. Direct primaries and consensus have been allowed, while indirect primaries have been taken out.
“That is the current law of the nation, passed and assented to. Now, why do you think other political parties will have issues with that?” she asked.
“That would be to say there are levels of unpreparedness of these political parties. Any political party that is worth its salt should not wait till election season to start preparing for the run for office and all of these congresses.
“It is something they would have planned ahead of time. So, when you are not proactive as a party, these kinds of situations can challenge you deeply,” she added.
Ahead of the convention, the party began evaluating candidates for important posts on its National Working Committee, including National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda and National Secretary Ajibola Basiru.
Other NWC members aiming to keep their positions include National Youth Leader Dayo Israel, Deputy National Chairman (North) Ali Bukar Dalori, National Legal Adviser Abdulkarim Abubakar Kana, National Woman Leader Mary Alile Idele, and National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka, among others.
