APC Primary Elections: How Candidates Emerge

Last checked: 14 October 2026. This article explains APC primary elections and how candidates emerge, using the party’s 2026 process as an example. It is civic education, not an endorsement of any party or aspirant.

APC primary elections are the process through which the party chooses who carries its flag in a general election. Anyone can say they want to run for office, but only the person who wins the party’s primary becomes its official candidate. Understanding the steps helps members and ordinary voters see how the choice is made and where disputes arise.

Step 1: Be a registered member

Under the Electoral Act 2026, parties must submit a digital membership register to INEC at least 21 days before primaries, congresses or conventions. The register includes each member’s name, date of birth, address, ward and polling unit, among other details. As reported, only people on that register can vote or contest in the primaries. If you want to vote for or become an aspirant in the APC, being on a properly submitted register is the starting point.

Step 2: The party issues a timetable

The National Working Committee (NWC) sets a timetable consistent with INEC’s rules. For 2026 the APC sold nomination forms from 25 April to 2 May, required completed forms by 4 May, held screening from 5 to 9 May, and fixed the presidential primary for 23 May after moving it from 15 May. It said the revision was needed for compliance with the amended Constitution, the 2026 Electoral Act and INEC guidelines.

Step 3: Aspirants buy forms and are screened

Aspirants collect and submit forms, pay the fees set by the party and appear before a screening committee. Screening checks things such as membership, eligibility under the Constitution and compliance with party rules. Aspirants who fail can sometimes appeal within the party.

Step 4: Choose the mode of primary

The NWC adopted direct and consensus options for 2026. If consensus fails, or if any aspirant rejects it, the party goes back to direct primaries, and state chapters decide the mode for their states. Direct primaries let party members vote, while consensus involves an agreement among aspirants and stakeholders. We explain the difference in our guide on direct and indirect primaries.

Related link: Read more here

Step 5: The voting and collation

The 2026 presidential primary was a nationwide direct primary held across 8,809 wards in all 774 local government areas. According to the reported figures, there were 12,643,306 registered voters, 11,069,756 accredited voters and 11,015,665 votes cast. Results are collated from wards upward and announced by a returning officer.

Step 6: The result

Senator Pius Anyim, chairman of the APC Presidential Primaries Election Committee, declared the result on 24 May 2026 at the collation centre in Abuja. Bola Tinubu received 10,999,162 votes, and his only challenger, Stanley Osifo, received 16,503. That is about 99.85% of the votes cast for Tinubu. Party chairman Nentawe Yilwatda presented him with the certificate of return and the party flag.

Step 7: Appeals and disputes

Aspirants who are unhappy can use the party’s appeals process and, in some cases, the courts. The Electoral Act 2026, as summarised by Daily Times, says that under Section 88(4) no court may stop party primaries or general elections while a suit is pending, and that pre-election challenges are to be resolved after the election. That means disputes can continue even after votes are cast, so clear procedures matter.

Step 8: Submission to INEC

After the primaries, parties submit candidate lists to INEC. Section 29(1), as described by Legal 500, requires lists no later than 120 days before election day. INEC then publishes the particulars and, after checks, a final list. On 12 September 2026 it published a final list of 18 presidential candidates.

Why primaries matter

• They decide who voters will see on the ballot.
• Mistakes can cost a party its candidates, as Zamfara showed in 2019, when the Supreme Court ruled the APC had not validly fielded candidates there.
• They show how democratic a party’s internal life really is.

Tips for members

• Confirm early that your name is on the party’s register.
• Keep copies of your membership details.
• Read the party’s timetable and guidelines.
• Report irregularities through proper party and legal channels.

What we could not confirm

• The exact form fees or screening criteria used for every office.
• The full set of state and National Assembly primary results, which we did not review.

Frequently asked questions

Who chooses the APC’s presidential candidate? Party members, in the direct primary used in 2026.

How many votes did Tinubu get? 10,999,162, according to the declared result.

Can a court stop a primary? Under the Electoral Act 2026 as reported, no court may stop primaries while a suit is pending.

Key takeaways

An APC candidate emerges through a register, a timetable, forms, screening, a chosen mode, voting, a declared result and submission to INEC. Compliance with each step protects the party and its candidates.

Sources checked

• Premium Times, APC revised 2027 timetable, 24 April 2026
• Channels TV, Tinubu declared winner of APC presidential primary, 24 May 2026
• Daily Times, key provisions of the Electoral Act 2026
• Legal 500, “The Electoral Act 2026: progress, gaps and the legal landscape for 2027”
• Nairametrics, INEC final list of 18 presidential candidates, 12 September 2026