From the drama that is playing out, it bears stating here that anarchy may let loose upon the land in a place like Nasarawa, where there are over 20 people contesting for the governorship under the platform of the APC if a tiny cabal is hell-bent on having his way
By Jamiu Dodo Esq
As the battle for political power hots up nationwide one factor that would decide the fate of all the participants is the amended 2026 Electoral Act, more than anything else.
Hitherto, some major political gladiators using the power of incumbency such as the governors or those who wielded some sphere of influence like the godfathers unilaterally sealed the fate of whomever they so wished by imposing their choices on the hapless electorates. Not anymore.
The Electoral Act, in what has been described as a game changer, now plays the final arbiter, albeit literally, in matters of the choice of candidates for all elective offices.
Under the amended Electoral Act, political parties are required to allow all registered members to participate in the selection of candidates for elective offices, effectively ending the long-standing practice where a limited number of delegates determined party flag-bearers.
Although the direct primary methodology is not entirely new, what has changed is the insistence on direct primaries and the consensus approach, which permanently eradicates the delegate system of selecting party candidates.
Across these states, direct primaries have expanded participation. In several instances, the process has reshaped political alignments, and especially weakened incumbents’ control over delegate lists.
For instance, ahead of the 2019 general elections, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), adopted direct primaries in several states as part of its internal reforms.
Under the system, all registered party members in each ward were accredited to vote for aspirants rather than a limited number of statutory and ad hoc delegates. Implementation, however, varied from state to state.
The accreditation was conducted using party membership registers, after which members either queued behind candidates or cast simple ballots and results were collated from wards to local governments and then to the state level.
Specifically in Lagos state, the direct primary was conducted across the 245 wards, with party members queuing openly behind their preferred aspirants. The exercise led to the defeat of then sitting Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, who lost the APC ticket to Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The open ballot format made it difficult for the incumbent to influence party structures to guarantee victory.
In Ekiti State, the APC used ward-based voting centres where members cast ballots under the supervision of party officials and observers. The process produced former Governor Kayode Fayemi as the candidate. Ditto for Ogun, Kano, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Cross River, Edo, Imo, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Taraba and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), where the direct primary led to mass participation across the local governments and also followed similar ward-level voting patterns.
For proper context, it is very instructive to note that the Electoral Law stipulates in Section 84, particularly subsection 2, which declares: “The procedure for the nomination of candidates by political parties for the various elective positions shall be by direct or consensus.”
This is just as Articles 20 and 21 of the APC’s Constitution clearly states without any equivocation that any official who participates in premature endorsement or adoption is a violation of the APC Constitution and shall attract disciplinary measures, including suspension or removal, and ditto for all other political parties.
With this kind of legal framework put in place, it is really an insult on the intelligence of the electorate for some politicians to still attempt to impugn and act in breach of the law.
A test case is Governor Abdulahi Sule of Nasarawa State, who without recourse to the Electoral Law and even his party’s Constitution unilaterally handpicked a serving senator, Ahmed Aliyu Wadada as his successor and wants everyone else to fall in line.
From the drama that is playing out, it bears stating here that anarchy may let loose upon the land in a place like Nasarawa, where there are over 20 people contesting for the governorship under the platform of the APC if a tiny cabal is hell-bent on having his way.
The outcome is better left to the imagination really.
Thankfully, we have a Mr. President, who himself, a thorough bred democrat with proven years of struggle and fighting for the masses under his belt, has promised to do right by all.
Little wonder when he assenting the bill of the Electoral Law, an elated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said the reforms in the electoral system would strengthen democracy and propel grassroots development, even as he noted the place of direct primaries and consensus options in election management.
To reiterate the words of some discerning members of the ruling party, the only legitimate and binding process for the emergence of the APC governorship candidates in states where consensus hasn’t worked is the scheduled primary slated for May 21, 2026 and that process remains sacrosanct and must proceed without interference or manipulation of any sort.
*Jamiu Dodo Esq., a public affairs commentator, writes from Keffi, Nasarawa State*
•Opinions, positions or thoughts expressed here are personal and strictly of the writer/author and do not represent the views of The Daily Crucible.
