APC Uploads 27 Governorship Candidates on INEC Portal

Author: Gist Correspondent

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has uploaded the names of its governorship candidates and their running mates for 27 states to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal, signalling the resolution of most disputes that trailed the party\'s governorship primaries ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party is expected to conclude the process after resolving the only outstanding issue in a Northeast state, where consultations are still ongoing over the choice of a deputy governorship candidate. A stakeholders\' meeting in Abuja is expected to settle the matter.

Governorship elections will be conducted in 28 states, while political parties have until August 8 to submit the names of their governorship and House of Assembly candidates to INEC.

Among the notable candidates whose details have already been uploaded are Obafemi Hamzat (Lagos), Solomon Adeola (Ogun), Kingsley Chinda (Rivers), Eric Opah (Abia), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Mustapha Gubio (Borno), Jamilu Gwamna (Gombe), Aliyu Wadada (Nasarawa), Baba Malam Wali (Yobe), Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Abba Yusuf (Kano), Dikko Radda (Katsina), Umar Bago (Niger), Nasir Idris (Kebbi), Caleb Mutfwang (Plateau), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) and Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto).

The party also confirmed the submission of candidates from states where the primaries generated intense controversies, including Kwara, Oyo, Adamawa and Bauchi, following reconciliation efforts among aggrieved aspirants and party stakeholders.

In Kwara State, House of Assembly Speaker Yakubu Danladi Salihu emerged as the APC governorship candidate despite opposition from several prominent aspirants and party leaders who had challenged his emergence after the primary election.

Bauchi State witnessed one of the party\'s fiercest internal contests, with former Governor Mohammed Abubakar eventually clinching the ticket ahead of several high-profile contenders. The outcome triggered defections, including that of Senator Shehu Umar Buba to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), alongside other party officials in the state.

In Adamawa, the party has largely overcome the disagreements that followed the emergence of former Petroleum Technology Development Fund Executive Secretary Ahmed Tijani Galadima as its governorship candidate, with key stakeholders now rallying behind him.

Similarly, tensions in Oyo State have eased after Senator Sharafadeen Alli\'s candidacy was formally recognised and uploaded to the INEC portal, despite earlier protests by former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu and some other aspirants.

A party official familiar with the submission process said significant progress had been made in uploading candidates\' particulars, adding that only one state remains pending because of unresolved issues surrounding the deputy governorship slot.

The official also disclosed that the APC has completed the upload of about 60 per cent of its House of Assembly candidates across the country as preparations intensify for the 2027 general elections.