President Bola Tinubu has called on All Progressives Congress members across the country to approach the party’s primary elections with unity, discipline, and a spirit of sportsmanship, warning against rancorous conduct and urging winners to extend olive branches to those who fall short rather than gloat in victory.
In a statement marking the commencement of the APC primaries, Tinubu described the exercise as more than a process to produce standard bearers for the 2027 general election, calling it a referendum on the party’s unity, resilience, and internal strength as it enters its fourth election cycle since its founding.
The primaries, which begin with House of Representatives aspirants and culminate in the presidential primary on May 25, 2026, are being conducted against a backdrop of extensive consensus-building efforts at various levels of the party. Tinubu acknowledged the progress made in that direction, describing consensus candidacy as a commendable option that reduced friction among party members, and encouraged members to make full use of the window before proceeding to contested primaries where consensus efforts had not succeeded.
“In every contest, there will be a winner and a loser. I urge the winners not to gloat in victory and the losers to show sportsmanship by taking things in their stride and preparing for another time. The ultimate winners are those who don’t choose to wreck the boat but rather work to prepare for another round,” Tinubu said.
He called on party leaders, governors, and other principal officers to guarantee a level playing field for all aspirants, rising above sentiment to ensure that even those who lost the contest walked away with the satisfaction of having participated in a fair process. He also directed winners and party leaders to reach out to unsuccessful aspirants after the primaries, describing the extension of olive branches as an essential part of building the post-primary unity the party would need heading into the general election.
Tinubu specifically appealed for greater inclusion of women and young people, urging voters and leaders at all levels to give special consideration to the two demographics in the primary contests, describing their inclusion as a matter of particular personal importance to him.
He warned security agencies to remain strictly professional throughout the exercise, limiting their role to ensuring a peaceful process and refraining from acting as interlopers in what was a party affair.
The president also reminded unsuccessful aspirants that the party had established committees to hear and address appeals against primary outcomes, encouraging those aggrieved by results to seek redress through the proper institutional channels rather than through actions that could destabilise the party.
“Our opponents are waiting for us to be against each other; we should disappoint them,” Tinubu said, stressing that the APC’s internal cohesion was itself a strategic asset that could not be allowed to fracture ahead of what was expected to be a fiercely contested 2027 election cycle.
