APC, PDP 2026 conventions and political realignments

 

It’s season of politics in Nigeria and quite a lot is going on in the political ecosystem of the most populous black nation in the world right now. The gale of defections subsists while political parties are busy with registration of new members and revalidation of old ones. Several political parties are also holding their congresses and conventions. Over the weekend, two of the twenty-one registered political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress and the former governing party, Peoples Democratic Party both had their conventions in Abuja. While APC held its own at the Eagles Square from March 27 – 28, the PDP chose the Velodrome of the MKO Stadium for its own from March 29 – 30, 2026. APC had 8, 453 delegates in attendance while PDP had over 3,000.

It's important to situate what just happened in the PDP and APC in the Nigerian Constitution. Section 223 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as altered says in subsection (1) that “The constitution and rules of a political party shall- (a) provide for the periodical election on a democratic basis of the principal officers and members of the executive committee or other governing body of the political party; and (b) ensure that the members of the executive committee or other governing body of the political party reflect the federal character of Nigeria.”

Subsection (2) says “For the purposes of this section - (a) the election of the officers or members of the executive committee of a political party shall be deemed to be periodical only if it is made at regular intervals not exceeding four years; and (b) the members of the executive committee or other governing body of the political party shall be deemed to reflect the federal character of Nigeria only if the members thereof belong to different States not being less in number than two-thirds of all the States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.”

It’s important to note that the Convention is the highest decision-making organ of any political party. There are two types – elective and non-elective. What APC and PDP had were both elective conventions. It’s also noteworthy that prior to the convention, congresses had previously been held to elect the party administrators at the Ward, Local Government, State and Zonal levels. In the words of President Bola Tinubu at the 4^th elective convention of the APC last Friday, “Conventions are not just observance of periodic party rituals. They are for institutional renewal. They present opportunities to deepen internal democracy, strengthen the party platform, reorganise our structure, and reaffirm our collective direction.”

I had a busy weekend doing media rounds to discuss the two conventions and this came to a head on Monday, March 30, 2026 when I granted seven interviews to different media platforms. They are: Nigerian Television Authority, Midas Radio 90.3 FM, Ado Ekiti, Daily Trust, TVC News, Silverbird TV, XL 106.9 FM, Uyo and Trust TV. With the exception of the interview on TVC News which dwelt on Isreal-US conflict with Iran, the other six were on the APC, PDP conventions and political realignment ahead of 2027 General Elections.

There are key takeaways for me from the conventions. It’s interesting that both political parties and indeed the one being organised by the African Democratic Congress for April 14, 2026 decided to adopt the consensus option for electing their party leaders. While this is seen as less complex and cheaper; it however breeds imposition of candidates and therefore less democratic. For instance, while the two political parties zoned different posts to each of the six geo-political areas, it was further micro-zoned to states and indeed individuals who have already been handpicked by party elites and chieftains. This is a throwback to what is called in Yorubaland “Baba-sope” politics in which a powerful elder or few party barons determine the party leadership. As it is, many credible aspirants were shut out of the contest for the positions because those to occupy them are already predetermined. What eventually took place in Abuja was not election per se but affirmation and coronation.

My worry is that now that mode of party primaries has been limited to Direct Primary and Consensus according to section 84 of the new Electoral Act 2026, imposition of candidates may be the new normal for party candidate nomination ahead of 2027.  As for the PDP convention, it’s still a faction loyal to the FCT Minister, Nyesome Wike that organised the convention without any input or participation by the Governor Seyi Makinde camp. Recall that the camp loyal to Oyo State governor, had previously held a convention in Ibadan on November 15 and 16, 2025. That exercise had been nullified by the courts. However, one had thought that there will be reconciliation of the two factions before the convention but the Kabiru Turaki led group loyal to Oyo State governor had chosen to challenge the Court of Appeal decision at the Supreme Court. This means that the PDP woes are not over yet and by the time the apex court will be making its final pronouncement, there may not be any elected member left in PDP; as most of them had already voted with their feet through defection to other political parties.

My most important takeaway is the speech of President Bola Tinubu at the APC 2026 Convention. There are several soundbites from that speech. Tinubu went memory lane about the vision of the founding fathers of APC, lashed out at the opposition political parties for condemning the Electoral Act 2026, reeled out a scorecard of his administration and gave a charge to the newly elected National Working Committee of the party. The president inter alia said “Our greatest strength has never been in our size or numbers, but our unity. Political parties do not fail only through electoral defeats. Often, they falter when ego overrides ideology or when ambition replaces discipline. They fail when individual interests threaten the collective good. We must guard against those tendencies at all costs.”

Another one says “We must also remind ourselves that this party is not merely a vehicle specially built to carry ambitious politicians to electoral victories. It was founded as a vehicle for national transformation, a home for anybody who wants to build a Nigeria where governance works, institutions function, opportunities abound, security reigns, poverty declines, and every Nigerian, regardless of tribe, religion, region or social status, can live with dignity and hope.” Has APC achieved this? The answer is NO!

Tinubu said further “Let me reiterate, especially to those who often lament and misunderstand us: we do not seek a one-party state. Democracy thrives on vibrant and healthy competition. As a statesman and political leader, I believe in a credible opposition—one that can challenge, question and help refine policies. That is how statecraft improves, and good governance is achieved. That is how nations advance.”

Another soundbite reads: “While we welcome criticism, the constant attacks by opposition groups on the Electoral Act 2026 are a disservice to the Nigerian people. It is public knowledge that the processes leading to the amendment of the 2022 Electoral Act passed through the crucible of legislative scrutiny, including public hearings. The Electoral Act was passed by the National Assembly, elected by the Nigerian people in accordance with the 1999 Constitution.” PBAT also said “We knew the road to reform would be tough. We knew rebuilding Nigeria would require courage, patience, and difficult decisions. But we also knew: no nation rises by hiding from the truth. No economy grows by sustaining wasteful subsidies or dysfunctional priorities. No future is built on perpetual self-denial.”

Lastly, Tinubu boasted “Our programmes are real, visible, feasible, impactful, measurable, and not mere rhetoric, as some opposition elements like to say. We are moving from survival mode to stability and steadily towards an era of prosperity.” Am not sure most Nigerians will agree with the president on his claims on good governance. Development indices on Nigeria are pointing southwards; in the negative. Most Nigerians are facing rising cost of living crisis rather than improved standard of living and the president is grandstanding about noticeable achievements.

I.G: @jideojong