APC Did Not Impose Candidates In Primaries – Yilwatda

According to Ireporter Online, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has dismissed allegations that candidates were imposed during the party’s primary elections, insisting that the processes were either based on consensus or decided through direct primaries where agreement failed.

Yilwatda made the clarification on Monday during an interview on Arise News, where he addressed concerns that the party’s use of consensus arrangements could spark internal divisions.

He explained that the APC conducted governorship primaries across the country involving both incumbent governors and new aspirants, noting that only three candidates emerged through consensus while the majority were decided via direct primaries.

He maintained that at no point were candidates imposed, stressing that the party followed due process in line with electoral guidelines.

According to him, “In the entire 36 states, we had 29 governors who were either returning or new people contesting for governorship in their states. We had only three consensus candidates for the governorship. All the rest went for direct primaries. There were no impositions because anytime we did, allow the law to run.”

Yilwatda further explained that the APC introduced a consensus form requiring all aspirants to sign before any agreement could be considered valid, adding that consensus was only declared when full consent was achieved.

He said, “We created a consensus form. The consensus form allows all the aspirants to sign before the consensus takes place. Where consensus cannot come, you go for direct primaries.”

The APC chairman also disclosed that some primaries were postponed due to complaints from aspirants alleging irregularities, stating that the party took time to address such grievances before proceeding with elections.

He added that appeal committees were set up to review disputes, ensuring that aggrieved aspirants had the opportunity to challenge the process and seek redress within the party structure.