The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rescheduled its presidential and governorship primary elections ahead of the 2027 general polls, shifting both exercises as part of adjustments to its timetable.
Under the revised schedule, the party’s presidential primary will now hold on May 23, 2026, instead of the earlier May 15 and 16 dates, while the governorship primaries have been moved to May 21.
APC Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko, announced the changes on Thursday after the party’s 186th National Working Committee meeting in Abuja. He said the update was made to align with provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, the Constitution, and the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The adjustment also affects other activities leading up to the primaries. The sale of nomination forms is scheduled for April 25 to May 2, while submission closes on May 4.
Screening of aspirants for state assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, and governorship positions will take place from May 6 to May 8, with presidential aspirants to be screened on May 9.
According to the party, results of the screening exercise will be released on May 11, followed by appeals on May 12 and 13.
The APC also outlined dates for other primaries, with the House of Representatives slated for May 15, the Senate on May 18, and State Houses of Assembly on May 20, ahead of the governorship and presidential contests.
Meseko said post-primary appeals would run between May 18 and May 25, depending on the category of election.
On the mode of selection, the party said it would adopt both direct and consensus options in line with the law, adding that where consensus fails, the process will revert to direct primaries.
He also stated that nomination forms remain open to all qualified aspirants, dismissing claims of restrictions.
Meanwhile, INEC has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly elections will take place on February 6, 2027.
The commission noted that party primaries are expected to hold between April 23 and May 30, 2026, with campaigns set to begin later in the year for both federal and state contests.
