By Omeiza Ajayi, ABUJA

The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has shifted its presidential primary election to Saturday, May 23, 2026.

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Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Durosinmi Meseko, disclosed this after the 186th meeting of the party’s National Working Committee NWC on Thursday in Abuja. 

Meseko, who was accompanied to the briefing by the party’s National Leader of Persons with Disabilities, Tolu Bankole, said the new schedule supersedes an earlier timetable published only days ago and has been formally communicated to the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC in line with extant regulations.

Under the revised calendar, the sale of nomination forms begins this Saturday, April 25, and runs until Saturday, May 2, 2026. Completed forms and accompanying documents must be submitted no later than Monday, May 4.

Screening of aspirants for the House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, and Governorship will hold between Wednesday, May 6 and Friday, May 8, while Presidential aspirants will face their screening panel on Saturday, May 9. Screening results across all categories will be published on Monday, May 11, with appeals to be heard on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 12 and 13.

Primary elections will then roll out in sequence: House of Representatives on Friday, May 15; Senate on Monday, May 18; State House of Assembly on Wednesday, May 20; Governorship on Thursday, May 21; and the Presidential primary on Saturday, May 23. Post-primary appeal committees will sit in the days immediately following each primary.

The NWC also adopted a dual-mode primary system — direct and consensus — as provided in the Electoral Act, with a significant condition attached.

Aspirants are free to indicate their preference, but where any single aspirant in a consensus arrangement withholds agreement, the process automatically reverts to direct primaries.

Meseko moved to put to rest what he described as a rumour that nomination forms would be restricted to certain individuals. “Nomination forms for all aspirants seeking offices under the All Progressives Congress are open,” he declared. “Nomination forms are open for all members of the All Progressives Congress contesting elections.”

On party membership, he said the updated list of all newly registered APC members has been transmitted to INEC, bringing the party into full conformity with established rules.

Separately, the NWC approved a timetable for ward, local government area, and state congresses in Zamfara State, kicking off Tuesday, April 28, with screening of aspirants for ward executive positions. Ward congresses hold on Thursday, April 30, with LGA and state congresses following in the days after, and all resulting appeals to be resolved by Sunday, May 3.

Meseko said the APC “is now fully ready for the upcoming primary elections.”

Vanguard News