The All Progressives Congress has postponed its presidential primary election to May 23, 2026, while its governorship primaries will now hold on May 21, under a revised timetable for the party’s 2027 general election activities. The changes were announced in Abuja on Thursday after the 186th meeting of the party’s National Working Committee.
APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko, said the adjustment affected other stages of the process, including the screening of aspirants and the hearing of appeals. He said the revised schedule was drawn in line with the 1999 Constitution, as amended, the Electoral Act 2026, and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s timetable for the 2027 elections.
According to the new schedule, the sale of nomination forms will run from April 25 to May 2, 2026, while the deadline for the submission of completed forms and supporting documents is May 4. Screening for aspirants seeking State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and governorship tickets will take place from May 6 to May 8, while presidential aspirants will be screened on May 9.
The party said screening results for all categories of aspirants will be released on May 11, while appeals arising from the screening exercise will be heard between May 12 and May 13. Under the revised primary timetable, House of Representatives primaries will hold on May 15, Senate primaries on May 18, and State House of Assembly primaries on May 20.
Meseko said the APC had adopted direct and consensus methods for its primaries, as provided under the Electoral Act 2026. He said aspirants would be free to choose, noting that where consensus fails, the process would automatically revert to direct primaries. He also dismissed claims that nomination forms would be restricted to selected individuals, saying they would be available to all aspirants.
The party also released a timetable for ward, local government and state congresses in Zamfara State, beginning on April 28. Screening for ward executive aspirants is scheduled for April 29, ward congresses for April 30, while appeals arising from the exercises will follow on May 1 and May 3.
INEC has fixed January 16, 2027, for the presidential and National Assembly elections, while governorship and State Houses of Assembly polls are scheduled for February 6, 2027. The commission said party primaries and dispute resolution processes would run from April 23 to May 30, 2026, with campaigns for presidential and National Assembly elections to begin on August 19, and governorship and state assembly campaigns on September 9.
