APC Primaries: Tinubu Is Happy With Our Performance

According to reports, Yilwatda made the remarks while speaking with journalists shortly after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Lagos on Wednesday. His comments come amid growing controversies and complaints trailing the APC primaries in several states.

The APC chairman described the ongoing exercise as one of the most fiercely contested primary elections in Nigeria’s political history, attributing the intense competition to the party’s increasing popularity and acceptance nationwide. He commended party members and supporters for what he called a disciplined and orderly conduct throughout the process.

Yilwatda maintained that despite a few complaints recorded in some areas, the primaries had remained largely peaceful and well coordinated. He noted that disagreements are common in electoral processes but insisted that the exercise had been conducted with minimal rancour.

Addressing concerns over disputes linked to consensus arrangements in some states, the APC chairman explained that the party’s guidelines clearly provide alternatives where consensus fails, including the option of direct primaries. He stated that the procedures were being followed accordingly across affected states.

He further assured aggrieved members that the party possesses established internal structures for conflict resolution, stressing that mechanisms such as the Presidential Conflict Resolution Committee and the Party Conflict Resolution Committee were already in place to address post-primary disputes and maintain unity within the party.

Yilwatda also revealed that President Tinubu expressed satisfaction with the logistics, coordination, and strategies deployed during the primaries. According to him, the President was particularly impressed by the relatively low number of incidents recorded nationwide and the overall management of the exercise.

The APC chairman described the widespread adoption of direct primaries during the current election cycle as a major milestone for the party, adding that the process reflected improvements in the APC’s organisational strength and operational capacity.