Party leaders continue to accuse the All Progressives Congress (APC) of anomalies in the Abuja Metropolitan Area Council (AMAC) primaries and delegates’ congress, leaving the outcome of these events still up in the air.
One candidate for the chairmanship of the 2026 AMAC council, Hon. Ishaku Tanko Yamawo, accused the recent primaries “held on June 25, 2025” of “gross injustice, deliberate exclusion, and abuse of internal democracy” during a press conference in Abuja on Saturday.
Yamawo apologized to media for the exercise’s secrecy and said that the chairmanship primary winner was a pre-selected candidate.
He also called the party’s delegates convention, which was conducted throughout AMAC’s twelve wards, a fraud and denounced its behavior.
A clearly concerned Hon. Yamawo stated that he had anticipated “transparency and fairness” in the process after fulfilling all constitutional requirements to run for the chairmanship position, including acquiring the expression of interest and nomination papers for 20 million naira (N20 million).
Furthermore, in order to guarantee the eligibility of delegate candidates to attend the delegates congress, I paid for and submitted delegate forms and covered the three-year dues.
He complained that the procedure was tainted by anomalies, a lack of openness, and outright manipulation.
According to the candidate for chairmanship, “I formally submitted a petition to the Delegate Congress Appeal Committee, rejecting the process and demanding a rescheduled congress that would truly reflect the will of the people,” in response to the actions taken to settle the disputes through internal party mechanisms.
I have yet to get any acknowledgement or reaction from the APC National Secretariat or the appeal committee.
A predetermined agenda that was obviously intended to favor one candidate over another was brought to the table by the committee that was dispatched from the APC National Headquarters.
Concerned, he maintained, “This degree of exclusion and manipulation creates a dangerous precedent.” The message conveyed to the world is that internal democracy and fairness are no longer highly valued by the APC.
Our party’s future is in jeopardy if such fundamental injustices are permitted to continue. Loyal members are discouraged, and impunity is promoted among our ranks.
In part, he signed a statement that said, “I speak not only as a candidate in the recent Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Chairmanship primary election, but also as a founding member of the APC in AMAC and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a devoted and active member who has paid his dues and served this party with unwavering commitment since its inception.”
Since I was an APC financial member, I met all constitutional qualifications to run for chairman. I paid twenty million dollars to receive the Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms.
Furthermore, in order to guarantee the eligibility of delegate candidates to attend the delegates congress, I paid for and submitted delegate forms and covered the three-year dues.
“I thought this procedure would be open, trustworthy, and consistent with our party’s basic principles of justice, equity, inclusion, and internal democracy.
To our utmost surprise, the delegates’ conference that took place on June 21, 2025, in all twelve wards of AMAC, was a total farce.
When the committee from APC National Headquarters arrived, it had a predetermined agenda that was obviously intended to give preference to one candidate over another.
The procedure was plagued by anomalies, a dearth of openness, and overt manipulation.
In response, I formally petitioned the Delegate Congress Appeal Committee to reject the procedure and call for a new congress that would accurately represent the people’s wishes.
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I have yet to get any acknowledgement or reaction from the APC National Secretariat or the appeal committee.
We repeatedly demanded fairness, and we even sent a follow-up letter asking that the Chairmanship primary be rescheduled, but the national party leadership utterly ignored us.
Even worse, neither I nor any other candidate received any official notification that the primary election will begin on June 25, 2025.
By the time the results were released, a prearranged candidate had been declared the victor of an election that I and many others were purposefully excluded from due to the opaque nature of the procedure.
“This is a betrayal of every principle upon which the APC was founded, and it is not just unacceptable.”
The councillorship primaries in certain wards, particularly Gwarimpa Ward, were equally rife with anomalies, as if that weren’t enough.
There was one startling case where a candidate who lost the councillorship primary was deemed elected and given a certificate of return. It is unacceptable that due process is being so flagrantly ignored.
Such exclusion and manipulation creates a risky precedent. The message conveyed to the world is that internal democracy and fairness are no longer highly valued by the APC.
“Our party’s future is in jeopardy if such serious injustices are permitted to continue. Loyal members are discouraged, and impunity is promoted among our ranks.
“I now demand the following as a devoted party member and stakeholder:
Professor Nantawe Goshwe Yilwatda, the newly appointed APC National Chairman, and the party leadership ought to form an impartial inquiry committee to examine:
The way the Congress of AMAC Delegates behaved.
“The Primary Elections for Chairmanship and Councilship,
The issue of certificates of return that are illegal.
That a new, inclusive, and credible primary be held in compliance with the party’s constitution, and that the June 25th AMAC Chairmanship primary be canceled.
“That all valid complaints be addressed and that the party publicly recognize and respond to petitions filed by candidates, including mine.”
To put it plainly, I still believe in the principles of the All Progressives Congress and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. Tinubu is a leader who continues to motivate many of us.
But if we let injustice, exclusion, and manipulation continue, we run the risk of alienating the same people who founded this party.
In order to protect the core of our party, I implore all party members, elders, and genuine progressives to stand up.
The party ticket now represents the selection of candidates supported by influential people and large sums of money rather than the choice of well-liked and competent candidates who can win the general elections. Our party’s future is seriously threatened by this expanding imposition trend.
There has been a notable decrease in party loyalty, and many members no longer believe the party can maintain justice and equity.
Therefore, it is imperative that we prevent the avaricious interests of a select few from destroying the long-term progress that millions of people have made.
