The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has announced that it may not present its own candidate in the 2027 presidential election, saying it plans instead to adopt President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its preferred candidate.
The National Chairman of the party, Barrister Sly Ezeokenwa, made this known on Thursday during a press briefing in Lagos where he spoke about the party’s position on the next presidential election.
According to him, the party will support Tinubu if he emerges as the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during its national convention.
Ezeokenwa explained that the decision is based on what he described as the good relationship between APGA and the Tinubu administration as well as the party’s support for the president’s policy direction.
“We hope that during the national convention of the APC, if he secures the nomination of his party through direct primaries, I can bet you that the national convention of APGA will adopt him as our presidential candidate,” he said.
The statement signals a possible political alignment between the regional-based party and the ruling party ahead of the next general election.
Speaking further during the briefing, Ezeokenwa said the party’s position is influenced by what he described as President Tinubu’s “good faith” towards APGA.
He said the party believes the president’s “Renewed Hope Agenda,” which focuses on economic reform and national development, aligns with APGA’s own political ideology.
According to him, the party believes supporting the president could help promote political cooperation and stability.
“We decided to return to this policy for a reason. Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda resonates with us. He has shown us good faith. We share similar ideology. If he gets the nomination of his party, we’ll adopt him,” he said.
The APGA chairman stressed that the party’s decision would only take effect if Tinubu becomes the official candidate of the APC for the 2027 election.
The APC is expected to hold its presidential primaries before the general election to select its candidate.
Ezeokenwa said APGA’s decision to support a candidate from another party is not unusual in Nigeria’s political system.
He explained that the party had taken a similar step in the past.
According to him, APGA adopted former President Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate during the 2011 and 2015 elections.
At the time, Jonathan was the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but APGA decided to support him rather than present its own candidate.
APGA is one of Nigeria’s registered political parties and has traditionally enjoyed strong support in parts of the South-East.
The party was founded in 2002 and gained national attention after the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu became its presidential candidate in the 2003 and 2007 elections.
Over the years, APGA has maintained a strong presence in Anambra State, where it has produced several governors.
The party currently governs Anambra State under Governor Chukwuma Soludo.
Although APGA has often contested presidential elections, its strongest influence has remained at the regional level.
During the briefing, the APGA chairman also spoke about recent changes to Nigeria’s Electoral Act, especially provisions relating to party primaries.
One of the major changes in the law is the introduction of direct primaries for political parties.
Under this system, all registered members of a party are expected to participate in the selection of candidates for elections.
Ezeokenwa said the system could help reduce what he described as the high cost of conducting primaries.
In the past, many political parties used indirect primaries, where delegates chosen from different states vote to select candidates.
This method has often been criticised because of allegations of vote buying and manipulation.
According to the APGA chairman, direct primaries could allow more party members to participate in decision-making.
He said this could strengthen internal democracy within political parties.
Despite supporting direct primaries, Ezeokenwa raised concerns about certain aspects of the new law.
One of the provisions requires political parties to submit the register of their members to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at least 21 days before party primaries, congresses, or conventions.
The law also states that only individuals whose names appear in the party register will be allowed to vote or contest during primaries.
However, the APGA chairman questioned whether it was appropriate for the electoral body to determine how parties manage their membership.
“The constitution says you must belong to a political party but you don’t determine for me who my members should be. It’s none of your business,” he said.
He argued that some provisions of the law could limit the ability of smaller parties to organise themselves and present candidates.
Ezeokenwa said smaller political parties sometimes face challenges when competing with larger parties that have more financial resources.
He warned that certain rules could make it difficult for smaller parties to remain competitive.
According to him, there may be attempts to weaken smaller parties by imposing strict regulations that affect their internal operations.
“There is a conscious attempt to emasculate smaller parties from fielding credible candidates,” he said.
However, he also noted that the new electoral reforms could encourage political parties to focus more on their ideology.
He said many Nigerians currently view political parties as temporary platforms used mainly to win elections.
“Today people just see political parties as special purpose vehicles,” he said.
To comply with the new electoral requirements, APGA has begun a nationwide digital membership registration and revalidation exercise.
The exercise started on March 1 and will run for one month.
According to Ezeokenwa, the registration process will help the party update its membership database and prepare for future elections.
He said the digital system will make it easier for the party to keep accurate records of its members across the country.
Although the next general election is still about a year away, political discussions about alliances and party strategies have already begun.
President Tinubu, who was elected in 2023, is widely expected to seek a second term in office.
If he decides to run again, the support of other political parties could influence the outcome of the election.
For now, APGA says its final decision will depend on the outcome of the APC presidential primaries.
If Tinubu emerges as the APC candidate, the party says it will formally adopt him during its own national convention.
