Top leaders of the All Progressives Congress have dismissed the possibility of granting automatic tickets to governors who recently defected to the ruling party, stressing that defection does not confer any special advantage ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Governors affected by the position include Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno; Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas; Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara; and Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, who is widely believed to be preparing to join the APC.
A member of the APC National Working Committee, who spoke to The PUNCH on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak publicly, said the party’s constitution and democratic principles do not allow for automatic tickets for any aspirant.
The NWC member said it was erroneous to believe that governors defecting to the APC were doing so solely to secure re-election.
“I believe it is wrong to assume that people are defecting solely to secure re-election,” he said.
“Many of those joining the All Progressives Congress are doing so because of the achievements of President Bola Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda, which is delivering positive results across various aspects of national life.”
He recalled that the party had already clarified that even President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would not be handed an automatic ticket should he seek re-election.
“The APC stated clearly that even the President would not be granted an automatic ticket, despite enjoying overwhelming support from the National Working Committee, NEC members, zonal leadership and governors,” he added.
“This does not limit the contest solely to President Tinubu. The process is open to any APC member who wishes to contest.”
According to the NWC member, the same rule applies to all governors, whether they are founding members of the party or recent defectors.
“This same principle applies to all governors, whether they have been long-standing members of the party or recent entrants, including the governors of Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers and others,” he said.
“There will be no automatic tickets for any of them. They must contest and earn their tickets through the party’s democratic process.
“If party members support them and they emerge successful, they become the party’s candidates. But the APC will not arbitrarily hand over tickets to anyone simply because they are governors or because they defected to the party.”
Among the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors who have crossed over to the APC are Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Peter Mbah of Enugu, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, and most recently, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State.
The APC leadership in Kano State has also hinted that Governor Abba Yusuf’s defection to the party is imminent.
Beyond the governors, several members of the National Assembly, state legislators, former governors, former ministers and other prominent political figures have also defected from the PDP to the ruling party.
Speaking separately, the APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, told The PUNCH that the party was not considering automatic tickets for any aspirant.
“The issue of automatic tickets is not something that is on the table now, not just for Kano but for anybody,” Ibrahim said.
“The party has not decided on giving anybody an automatic ticket, even in the case of the President.”
He explained that while the party had passed a vote of confidence in President Tinubu, it did not shut the door against other aspirants.
“What the party said was that it would support him based on his performance, but it did not say it would stop other people from contesting,” he added.
“If that position is true for the President, what about any other person below the President? Everyone will be given equal rights to contest.”
Ibrahim further emphasised the APC’s commitment to internal democracy and fairness.
“Where there is a need for consensus and consensus is reached, then the party will go for that option in order to have a friction-free election,” he said.
