Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, said Wednesday that the party’s just concluded primaries were the most competitive the country has ever seen.

He spoke with reporters after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the President’s residence in Lagos. According to Yilwatda, the huge turnout of aspirants reflects how far the APC has spread and how widely Nigerians now embrace the party.

“Look at the level of competition in our party. The principle is basic: few positions available, yet thousands showed up nationwide to contest for them,” he said.

Yilwatda linked the surge in aspirants to the APC’s presence in “every community across Nigeria.” He added that “people from all parts of the country want to join the APC, and anyone aiming for leadership now considers the APC their first option.”

He praised party members for running what he described as a calm and well managed process. “There was almost no rancour. It was very orderly. A few complaints came up, which is normal in any election, but overall it went nearly perfectly,” he noted.

Addressing disagreements over consensus deals in some states, the chairman said the APC’s rules are straightforward: “If consensus fails, we switch to direct primaries. That is what is happening in the states.” He explained that any consensus arrangement requires written agreement from aspirants who choose to step aside.

The House of Representatives primaries took place on May 16, 2026. Among the results: Speaker Tajudeen Abbas won his ticket for a fifth term without opposition in Zaria, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu kept his ticket, and Lagos Assembly Speaker Mudasiru Obasa also ran unopposed in Agege. Yusuf Buhari, son of former President Muhammadu Buhari, secured his first APC ticket in Katsina.

Yilwatda closed by appreciating President Tinubu for “moral and logistical support” throughout the exercise.