President Bola Tinubu has declined requests by Senate leaders seeking automatic return tickets for lawmakers ahead of the 2027 elections, insisting that state governors retain control over candidate selection within the ruling party.
The decision followed a closed-door meeting between Tinubu and the extended Senate leadership at the Presidential Villa, where lawmakers reportedly pushed for assurances. However, the President maintained that governors remain the party’s leaders at the state level.
A source familiar with the meeting said, “The meeting was to plead for automatic tickets for senators, but President Tinubu insisted that the governor of each state has influence over candidates.”
Less than a day later, Tinubu met with APC governors and formally gave them the authority to drive the primaries process. Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago confirmed the development, saying, “He has given and ceded his executive power to the governors to go ahead and conduct primaries based on the Electoral Act.”
The stance has unsettled some federal lawmakers, particularly those with strained ties to their governors, as the party prepares for its 2027 primaries.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed the Presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027.
The Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, February 6, 2027.
The Commission also stated that party primaries, including the resolution of disputes arising from them, are scheduled to be held between April 23, 2026 and May 30, 2026.
According to INEC, campaigns for the Presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on August 19, 2026, while campaigns for the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will begin on September 9, 2026.
The political position of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is beginning to reshape alignments within the ruling party, potentially affecting the re-election prospects of several lawmakers across states.
In Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Daniel is reportedly facing strong opposition from Governor Dapo Abiodun, who is said to be positioning himself to contest the Ogun East senatorial seat after completing his tenure.
Daniel was allegedly excluded from a recent stakeholders’ meeting in the district, which was presided over by Abiodun. The governor, who is term-limited, is believed to have emerged as the preferred candidate for the senatorial seat, while Adeola Olamilekan, chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, is being positioned for the governorship race.
In Nasarawa State, Senator Aliyu Wadada, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, has secured a consensus endorsement for the governorship, a move that would see him vacate his Senate seat.
Similarly, in Oyo State, Senator Sharafadeen Alli has reportedly received backing from the All Progressives Congress to succeed Governor Seyi Makinde.
These developments, coupled with increasing instances of governors backing alternative candidates, suggest a possible high turnover in the Senate ahead of the next election cycle.