The All Progressives Congress began its 2026 primary elections in May to select candidates for the 2027 general elections, with contests held for Senate, House of Representatives, State Houses of Assembly, governorship and presidential tickets.

Timetable and fees

According to schedules released by the party, House of Representatives primaries were held on May 15, 2026, Senate primaries on May 18, State House of Assembly primaries on May 20, governorship primaries on May 23, and the presidential primary on May 25. A revised date of May 23 for the presidential primary was also announced by party officials. The APC set nomination fees at N100 million for presidential aspirants, N50 million for governorship, N20 million for Senate, N10 million for House of Representatives, and N6 million for State House of Assembly.

Senate primaries

The exercise produced several high-profile outcomes. In Benue North-West, a retired Assistant Comptroller of Customs, Benjamin Aber, defeated incumbent Senator Titus Zam, who finished third with 2,763 votes. In Benue North-East, former Governor Gabriel Suswam polled 131,083 votes to defeat incumbent Senator Emmanuel Udende, who had 1,374 votes. In Kogi Central, former Governor Yahaya Bello secured the ticket with 72,399 votes. Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma and former Senate President Ahmad Lawan were among those who won return tickets.

House of Representatives primaries

Across states, incumbents and new aspirants contested. In Osun, Kunle Adegoke, SAN, and Ibrahim Taofeek won the Senate and House of Representatives tickets for Osogbo. In Lagos, a solidarity walk was held in Eti-Osa Constituency II ahead of the May 20 House of Assembly primaries. In Kaduna North, Samaila Abdul Suleiman won with 3,049 votes. In Imo, four sitting members failed to secure return tickets.

Disqualifications and disputes

The party barred about 44 senatorial aspirants from participating, including Tein Jack-Rich, Senator Ipalibo Banigo and former Rivers Head of Service Tammy Danagogo. Former Bayelsa East senator Ben Murray-Bruce was later reinstated. In Zamfara North, aspirant Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi said he would challenge the process in court after alleging that aspirants were told to step down for serving senators. Protests were reported in Kaduna, Osun and Jos South over alleged manipulation.

Kwara governorship

Ahead of the May 21, 2026 governorship primaries, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq named Ambassador Abdulfatai Seriki as his preferred candidate. The governor said the endorsement did not preclude other aspirants from contesting.

Incidents

In Alimosho, Lagos, a meeting over House of Representatives primaries turned violent, with Lagos State Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment Akinyemi Bankole Ajigbotafe sustaining machete injuries.

The party stated that primaries would be conducted by direct primary or consensus and monitored by INEC, in line with the Electoral Act 2026. Appeals for various offices were scheduled between May 18 and May 25.