Weeks after the All Progressives Congress (APC) concluded its primaries, anxiety is deepening across the Party over the continued delay in releasing the full list of successful candidates.
What ordinarily should have been a routine post-primary exercise has become a political waiting game, with aspirants, supporters and rival parties watching closely to see how the ruling Party will manage the fallout of its internal contests.
“The APC held its National Assembly Primaries between May 16 and May 19, 2026, while the Governorship primaries were fixed for May 23, 2026, according to the Party’s revised timetable.”
MJConcept TV News gathered that the delay is not merely administrative. It is being interpreted in some Party circles as a deliberate containment strategy by the APC leadership to prevent aggrieved aspirants who may have lost out from immediately defecting to opposition parties.
A Party official speaking to MJConcept TV News said:
“This is a political decision and it is way above me,” the official said.
The calculation, according to Party insiders and political observers, is simple. Once the final list is released, those whose names are missing will know their fate. Some may head to court. Others may begin talks with opposition parties. In states where rival platforms are already waiting to harvest wounded aspirants, early publication of the list could trigger a fresh wave of defections.
By holding on to the list, the Party leadership appears to be buying time for negotiation, appeal, reconciliation and pressure.
The strategy is particularly important because the 2027 election season has turned candidate tickets into powerful bargaining instruments. In many constituencies, losers of primaries are not ordinary politicians. They are former Lawmakers, serving officials, moneybags, local power brokers and factional leaders with structures that could hurt the Party if they cross over to the opposition.
This is where the delay becomes both tactical and risky.
A national officer speaking on the condition of annonimity was, however, ambivalent over the strategy as he expressed concern that it could work against the Party.
“The fact is that once you do an election, there are many institutions and stakeholders involved who witnessed the exercise. Even more, INEC is there and they have their reports. Are you going to change the INEC report,” the official said as he expressed concern that altering the results could work against the party.
“The Supreme Court has said it that parties must follow their own guidelines in conducting their internal affairs and once you fall foul of such guidelines it could embarrass the Party,” the senior party official said.
MJConcept TV News reports that while holding on to the list that the Party leadership is also addressing concerns of dissent with Party officials reportedly tinkering the announced results in some constituencies. A case in point is said to be one of the National Assembly seats in Kogi State where the incumbent Senator who lost out is said to be facing considerations of a return ticket.
On one hand, APC leaders may believe that keeping the list under wraps gives them room to calm tempers, review petitions, pacify losers and prevent opposition parties from gaining early advantage. On the other hand, the longer the delay continues, the more suspicion grows among aspirants that the Party may be preparing to substitute winners, reward loyalists or impose names different from those produced at the primaries.
The primaries were trailed by protests, allegations of manipulation, claims of imposition, parallel declarations and complaints of irregularities in several states. In some constituencies, violence and disputes reportedly disrupted the process, leaving the national leadership with multiple petitions to review.
That has created a delicate balancing act for the APC National Working Committee.
If it releases the list too quickly, it risks inflaming those who feel cheated. If it delays too long, it feeds rumours, deepens mistrust and encourages the belief that the list is being rewritten behind closed doors.
The Party is also mindful of the legal consequences of submitting controversial names to INEC. In Nigeria’s recent electoral history, parties have lost seats in court because of defective primaries, unlawful substitutions or unresolved internal disputes. APC leaders appear determined to avoid avoidable legal landmines.
But beyond legal caution, the bigger political motive appears to be damage control. The ruling Party knows that a public list can become a defection trigger. Once aspirants realize they have no place on the ballot, opposition parties can move in with offers, sympathy and political shelter.
That fear is believed to be one of the strongest reasons the APC is still holding back.
For now, the Party is walking a tightrope between reconciliation and suspicion. The leadership may call it due process. Aggrieved aspirants may call it manipulation. Opposition Parties may call it fear.
But one thing is clear: the withheld list is no longer just a document. It has become a weapon of negotiation, control and survival ahead of the 2027 elections.