By ALO 360 Editorial Board
In the last one week, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) conducted its primaries ahead of the 2027 general election. Winners have emerged. Losers are protesting. That is normal in every political contest. Not everyone who enters a race can win. However, beyond the celebrations and complaints lies a far more troubling issue: the manner in which the primaries were conducted across the country raises serious concerns about the health of Nigeria’s democracy.
Reports before the primaries suggested that Bola Ahmed Tinubu effectively handed state governors enormous influence over party structures and candidate selection. Earlier in April, the president reportedly rejected automatic tickets for national assembly members who had lobbied for them, thereby strengthening the grip of governors over party affairs in their states. The implication was clear: political survival within the APC increasingly depends not on popularity among party members or performance in office, but on remaining in the good books of state governors and political godfathers. That is not democracy.
The APC has repeatedly projected its consensus arrangements as proof of party unity. But from all indications, what is being described as “consensus” often appears closer to imposition than genuine agreement. Across several states — from Lagos to Delta, Imo to Nasarawa — allegations of irregularities, intimidation, exclusion, and predetermined outcomes dominated the process.
LAGOS AS CASE STUDY
In Lagos, for instance, the primary election in Surulere constituency 1 became a major talking point. Desmond Elliott alleged that many of his supporters were prevented from participating in the exercise. The widely reported fallout between him and Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to the president and his long-time political benefactor, appears to have shaped the outcome more than any objective assessment of representation or popularity.
Ironically, Elliott himself rose in Lagos politics through the same godfather structure that now seems to have turned against him. That is the tragedy of patronage politics: political loyalty often matters more than competence, accountability, or service delivery. Public office becomes dependent on pleasing political benefactors rather than satisfying the electorate.
This trend exposes a dangerous reality in Nigeria’s political system. Politicians are rarely removed because the people reject them. More often, they fall out because they offend those who installed them. Misgovernance alone is seldom enough to deny a politician a return ticket. In many cases, disloyalty to political patrons is treated as a greater offence than failure in office.
Loyalty and mentorship are not inherently wrong in politics. Every political system has alliances and structures. But when loyalty to individuals takes precedence over loyalty to democratic values and public service, the country inches dangerously close to state capture.
Even more disturbing are the videos circulating online from some of the primaries. In several cases, vote counting appeared chaotic and blatantly questionable. Numbers announced often bore little resemblance to any transparent voting process. In some states, aspirants alleged that results had already been concluded before voting even commenced. In Delta state, for example, questions were raised after Ned Nwoko reportedly polled only a handful of votes in a ward where Ifeanyi Okowa allegedly secured over a thousand votes through his political structure.
2027 MUST NOT BE LIKE APC PRIMARIES
If internal party elections can be conducted in such controversial circumstances, Nigerians have every reason to worry about the conduct of the 2027 general election.
Political parties are supposed to be training grounds for democracy. If parties themselves cannot uphold transparency, fairness, and credibility within their own structures, then the wider democratic process becomes vulnerable. Democracy cannot thrive where candidates are imposed, voters are sidelined, and outcomes are predetermined.
The responsibility now falls heavily on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The electoral commission must ensure that votes genuinely count during the general election and that figures are not manipulated, the way many Nigerians believe happened during the APC primaries. The will of the electorate must prevail over the interests of governors, political patrons, and entrenched party structures.
Nigeria cannot continue to claim commitment to democracy while operating a political culture that increasingly resembles a monarchy disguised as an election.
If loyalty to political godfathers becomes the ultimate determinant of political success, then elections become little more than ceremonial exercises. And if that is the direction the country intends to follow, perhaps it would be more honest to abandon the expensive pretence of democracy altogether and channel election budgets into more meaningful national priorities.
