APC Mobilizes for 2027 as Intra-Party Tensions Surface Across Nigerian States
Nigeria's ruling All Progressives Congress conducts ward congresses and candidate screenings amid political violence in Ondo State and a power struggle between Governor Yusuf and former mentor Kwankwaso in Kano.
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Nigeria's ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is intensifying preparations for the 2027 electoral cycle, conducting ward congresses and candidate screenings across multiple states, even as violent incidents and internal power struggles threaten party cohesion in key regions.
The party activities come as Nigeria's political landscape heats up ahead of the next general elections, with the APC seeking to consolidate its position as the dominant political force while managing factional disputes that have erupted in several states.
Lagos Advances Grassroots Mobilization
In Lagos State, the APC has screened 540 candidates—27 from each of the state's 20 Local Government Areas—ahead of its local government ward congress scheduled for Saturday, according to Vanguard News. The screening exercise represents a significant grassroots mobilization effort in Nigeria's commercial capital, where the APC has maintained uninterrupted control since 1999.
The Lagos screening process indicates the party's strategy of early preparation for the 2027 elections, focusing on building organizational capacity at the ward level where voter contact and mobilization begin. Lagos remains crucial to the APC's national electoral mathematics, consistently delivering millions of votes in presidential elections.
Kano Power Struggle Tests Party Unity
The APC faces a more complex situation in Kano State, where Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf and his estranged political godfather, Rabiu Kwankwaso, are locked in a power struggle as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) conducts elections in the state, Legit.ng reported.
The Yusuf-Kwankwaso rift represents one of several mentor-protégé breakdowns that have characterized Nigerian politics in recent years. Kwankwaso, a former governor and presidential candidate who founded the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), initially backed Yusuf's gubernatorial bid. The current tension between the two political heavyweights could reshape political alignments in Kano, Nigeria's second most populous state and a critical battleground in northern politics.
The outcome of the ongoing election will serve as a barometer for measuring the respective political strengths of both camps and could influence coalition-building strategies ahead of 2027. Kano has historically been pivotal in determining the outcome of presidential elections, making any instability within the ruling party particularly significant.
Violence Mars Ondo Congress
Political tensions escalated into deadly violence in Ondo State, where police arrested 13 suspects over the alleged murder of two APC members during the party's ward congress, according to the Peoples Gazette. The Ondo State Police Command spokesperson confirmed that the Commissioner of Police "reiterated the command's firm resolve to ensure that those involved in the act were brought to justice."
The killings underscore the violent undercurrents that continue to plague Nigerian electoral politics, particularly at the grassroots level where competition for party positions can turn lethal. Ward congresses, which determine local party leadership and delegate selection for higher-level conventions, have historically been flashpoints for violence as rival factions battle for control of party machinery.
The Ondo incident raises concerns about security arrangements for upcoming party activities across Nigeria and the capacity of law enforcement to prevent electoral violence. Nigeria has struggled with political violence for decades, with Human Rights Watch and other organizations documenting hundreds of deaths related to elections and party activities in recent electoral cycles.
Implications for 2027
The simultaneous occurrence of these events across multiple states illustrates both the APC's organizational reach and the challenges it faces in maintaining internal cohesion. While the party conducts orderly processes in Lagos, it confronts factional warfare in Kano and deadly violence in Ondo.
The APC's ability to manage these internal contradictions will likely influence its performance in 2027. Opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party, are watching for opportunities to exploit APC divisions in states where the ruling party appears vulnerable.
As Nigeria moves closer to the 2027 electoral cycle, the patterns emerging from these early party activities—organizational capacity in some regions, violent contestation in others, and power struggles between political godfathers and their erstwhile protégés—may foreshadow the broader dynamics that will shape the next general elections.