According to Ireporter Online, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has firmly ruled out the possibility of granting automatic tickets to governors who recently defected to the ruling party, stressing that defection does not come with special privileges ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The governors affected by the decision include Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno, Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, as well as Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, who is widely believed to be on the verge of joining the party.
A senior member of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the party’s constitution and commitment to internal democracy do not support the idea of automatic tickets for any aspirant, regardless of political status.
The party chieftain dismissed claims that governors defecting to the APC were doing so solely to secure re-election tickets, noting that many were attracted by the performance of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the impact of the Renewed Hope Agenda across various sectors of national life.
He recalled that the APC had previously made it clear that even President Tinubu would not be handed an automatic ticket should he seek re-election, despite enjoying broad support from party leaders at the national and zonal levels, as well as governors.
According to him, the party’s position leaves the contest open to all qualified members, emphasizing that the same rule applies to governors whether they are founding members of the APC or recent entrants into the party.
He stressed that no aspirant would be imposed on the party, adding that all interested candidates must subject themselves to the APC’s democratic processes to earn the party’s ticket.
“If party members support them and they emerge successful, they become the party’s candidates. But the APC will not hand over tickets simply because someone is a sitting governor or recently defected,” he said.
Several governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have defected to the APC in recent months, including Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Peter Mbah of Enugu, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, and most recently, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State. The APC leadership in Kano has also hinted that Governor Abba Yusuf’s defection is imminent.
Beyond the governors, a wave of defections has seen members of the National Assembly, state legislators, former governors, former ministers, and other influential political figures move from the PDP to the ruling party.
In a separate reaction, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, reaffirmed that automatic tickets were not under consideration for any aspirant within the party.
He explained that while the party had passed a vote of confidence in President Tinubu based on his performance, it had not restricted the right of other aspirants to contest.
Ibrahim emphasized that the APC remains committed to fairness, internal democracy, and due process, noting that consensus would only be adopted where it is mutually agreed upon to ensure a peaceful and credible election process.
