Chinda, Yusuf, Hamzat, Yayi, Radda, Others Get APC Guber Tickets

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ABUJA – The governorship primaries nationwide conducted on Thursday saw Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, Gov­ernor Umar Mohammed Bago of Niger State, Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi State, Senator Solomon Olamilekan Ade­ola, popularly known as Yayi; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, as candidates in the 2027 gubernatorial polls.

Others who secured the gubernatori­al ticket are the Borno State flag bearer, Alhaji Mustapha Gubio, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda, Rivers governorship state flag bearer, Kingsley Chinda, among others.

Shaping its 2027 governorship battle lines, some of the APC sitting governors and leading figures emerged through af­firmation, consensus and direct primary exercises, while one state saw its exercise abruptly postponed.

In Kebbi State, Governor Na­sir Idris secured the APC gover­norship ticket for a second term after delegates from all 225 wards across the state unanimously af­firmed him as the party’s sole candidate.

The affirmation, held at the Haliru Abdu Stadium in Birnin Kebbi became a full display of po­litical support for the governor, widely known as ‘Kauran Gwan­du’, as party members endorsed him for the 2027 governorship election.

Chairman of the APC Gover­norship Primary Election Com­mittee, Abdulmalik Mahmud, said the committee’s role in Kebbi was merely to give formal approval to what the party had al­ready resolved at the grassroots.

“Our work here is very sim­ple because the people of Kebbi, especially APC members, have already decided,” Mahmud de­clared.

He said the turnout of rep­resentatives from the 225 wards showed strong unity within the party and reflected confidence in the governor’s leadership.

“Having satisfied all the re­quirements of the party and the law, I hereby declare Gov. Nasir Idris as the governorship flag­bearer of the APC in Kebbi,” he announced to loud cheers.

Earlier, the Kebbi APC chair­man, Abubakar Kana-Zuru, said the consensus endorsement was the outcome of a collective deci­sion by party members to back the governor for another term.

“All the 225 wards in Kebbi unanimously agreed to return Kauran Gwandu as the party’s flagbearer. That is why we gath­ered here today to affirm him,” Kana-Zuru said.

In his acceptance speech, Idris described the endorsement as a fresh mandate from the people and promised to accelerate de­velopment across the state.

“I am happy that our people have collectively said they trust us and want us to continue. This is a clear sign that you have faith in our leadership.

“We will do everything possi­ble to provide quality leadership to the good people of Kebbi State,” the governor said.

He also expressed apprecia­tion to President Bola Tinubu, the APC National Working Com­mittee and key stakeholders in the state for standing by his ad­ministration.

“I am humbled by this affirma­tion. I pledge to deepen the gains recorded in my first term and to run an inclusive government that leaves no community behind,” Id­ris said.

In Kano State, thousands of APC supporters turned out at the Sani Abacha International Stadium, Kofar Mata, despite the first rainfall, to witness the affirmation of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf as the party’s sole governorship candidate for the 2027 general elections.

The crowd, which included stakeholders, delegates, youths and women from the state’s 44 lo­cal government areas, remained orderly and enthusiastic as they endorsed Yusuf’s second-term ambition in one voice.

Even as it began to rain, the supporters continued to chant and cheer the governor, openly throwing their weight behind his bid for re-election.

Top government officials, lawmakers from the state and National Assembly, and other party leaders attended the event and also endorsed the governor’s return ticket.

The state APC chairman, Al­haji Haruna Doguwa, described the gathering as historic and said the scale of attendance, even un­der the rain, pointed to a clear victory for Yusuf in 2027.

He said the stadium was filled to capacity, while the roads lead­ing to the venue were packed with people who came to witness the event.

The rainfall, he noted, cooled a stadium that had earlier been suffering under intense heat.

In Ogun State, Governor Dapo Abiodun said the APC had concluded its governorship direct primary across the state and produced Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as the party’s candidate for the 2027 general election.

In a post on his X handle on Thursday, Abiodun had said Adeola was “overwhelmingly af­firmed” in a peaceful, orderly and transparent process that reflect­ed the party’s unity and internal democratic strength.

“Today, we participated in the APC governorship direct prima­ry election across Ogun State where Senator Adeola Yayi was overwhelmingly affirmed as the governorship candidate of our great party for the 2027 general election,” he said.

He added that the process showed the APC’s cohesion in the state, noting that party members, stakeholders, electoral officials and security agencies all helped to ensure a smooth exercise.

According to him, “The exer­cise was peaceful, transparent, orderly, and a true reflection of the unity and internal democrat­ic strength of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State.”

Abiodun said the party had closed ranks behind Adeola’s emergence and expressed con­fidence in the senator’s capacity ahead of the 2027 election.

He congratulated the senator and restated the APC’s commit­ment to sustaining development in Ogun State.

“We warmly congratulate Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola Yayi on his emergence and reaffirm our collective com­mitment to the continued prog­ress, stability, and development of Ogun State under the banner of our great party,” the governor said.

In Kwara State, however, the APC governorship primary was abruptly moved to today, Friday, May 22, 2026.

The state publicity secretary of the party, Alh. Abdulwaheed Babatunde, announced …­ponement in a statement issued on Thursday.

At the time of filing the re­port, many participants were still in different wards casting their votes and were apparently unaware that the exercise had been cancelled.

Beyond the official notice, it was gathered that the sudden dis­ruption was linked to objections from some aggrieved governor­ship aspirants in the state.

The development came days after Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announced Am­bassador Yahaya Seriki from Kwara Central, as his preferred successor.

The governor had explained that his endorsement of Seriki did not stop other aspirants from taking part in the primary.

The party’s statement reads: “This is an official notice from the Office of the State Publicity Secre­tary of the All Progressives Con­gress, APC, Kwara State chapter.

“The APC Governorship Pri­mary earlier scheduled to hold today, Thursday, 21st May 2026, has been postponed.

“The new date for the Gover­norship Primary is now Friday, 22nd May 2026.

“All aspirants, and party faith­ful are advised to take note.

“Thank you for your under­standing and cooperation.”

In Borno State, Vice Presi­dent Kashim Shettima called on APC members and stakeholders to close ranks and work for the overall success of the party.

He made the appeal in Maidu­guri during the APC governor­ship primary that produced Alha­ji Mustapha Gubio as the party’s flagbearer in the state.

Shettima urged party mem­bers to bury their differences and commit themselves to the success of the APC.

He said the party must re­main focused on moving Nigeria forward under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The vice president added that the affirmation of the governor­ship candidate should be seen as a collective effort to choose people capable of driving socio-econom­ic growth in the state.

“Whatever we do here is part of the broader agenda of Presi­dent Tinubu’s administration.

“The president is determined to ensure a better future for Nige­ria and Nigerians – one I believe will set the nation on a clear course for prosperity.

“The time has come to walk the talk, and only credible lead­ers can make this unfold into a pleasant reality for the citizens,” Shettima said.

Governor Babagana Zulum thanked stakeholders for their support and endorsement.

Gubio, who emerged unop­posed, promised to deepen devel­opment in the state and said he would govern with the fear of God if elected in 2027.

In Niger State, Governor Mo­hammed Umaru Bago was also affirmed as the APC candidate for the 2027 governorship election.

The affirmation took place at the APC secretariat in Minna on Thursday evening.

Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, who represents Niger East in the National Assembly, moved the motion for Bago’s affirmation, and the deputy speaker of the Ni­ger State House of Assembly, Mrs Affiniki Dauda, seconded it.

With other National Assem­bly members standing alongside him, Senator Sani Musa said, “I, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, representing Niger East in the National Assembly, do hereby move that His Excellency, Alhaji Mohammed Umaru Bago, having satisfied the conditions set out in the constitution is affirmed for a second term in office.”

Mrs Affiniki Dauda seconded the motion, and when it was put to vote, it was overwhelmingly carried.

Bago, in his acceptance speech, said, “I use this medium to accept my nomination, thank you very much”.

The process was supervised by the APC National Election Committee led by Alhaji Danla­mi Mohammed Abubakar, with the state Independent Electoral Commissioner, Alhaji Moham­med Garki, in attendance.

In another development, the APC in Zamfara State also pro­duced Governor Dauda Lawal as its governorship candidate for the 2027 election through a consensus arrangement adopted by the par­ty for its primary in the state.

Party supporters and mem­bers gathered across wards and unanimously endorsed Lawal as the party’s standard-bearer for the coming election.

After the exercise, the gover­nor thanked party members for the confidence they had placed in him and promised to sustain and expand development projects aimed at improving the living conditions of the people.

His emergence came on the same day his Katsina State coun­terpart, Governor Dikko Radda, secured the party’s ticket for the 2027 governorship election.

Both Lawal and Radda are seeking second terms on the APC platform.

In Rivers State, the APC offi­cially announced Kingsley Chin­da as its governorship candidate for Rivers State.

The declaration was made in Port Harcourt on Thursday by Bitrus Kwamoti, who served as chairman of the party’s gover­norship primary election com­mittee as well as the returning officer for the exercise.

Kwamoti made the announce­ment at the APC secretariat in Port Harcourt after collating re­sults submitted by officers from all 23 local government areas of the state, effectively concluding the primary process.

Speaking during the official declaration, he stated: “I, Kwamo­ti Bitrus, chairman of the Gover­norship Primary Election Com­mittee, here have been certified that I am the Returning Officer for the Rivers State Governorship Primary Election held on this day, 21st day of May, 2026.

“The name of the aspirant, which is the sole aspirant, is Chin­da Ogundu Kingsley. He scored the total number of votes, 268, 497.

“Ogundu Kinsley, having sat­isfied the requirements of the APC constitution and guidelines and scored the highest number of votes, is hereby declared the winner of the primary election and is, in return, elected as the party’s governorship candidate for River State.”

The primary election, which produced Chinda as the party’s flag bearer, unfolded against the backdrop of heightened political undercurrents within the Rivers APC structure. Observers had closely monitored the exercise, given the lingering tensions with­in the state chapter of the party and the perceived influence of allies aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

In Lagos State, the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, scored a total number of 657,917 votes in a landslide victory to emerge winner in the All Progres­sives Congress (APC) primaries, while his only rival, Jimi- Kamal, polled one vote.

In his remarks, Hamzat said that elections are a competition of ideas, service to the people, and ways to move the state forward, rather than a conflict of interest.

Speaking after the APC Gov­ernorship Primary Election at Ward A4 held at Ansar–ud-deen Primary School in Epe Local Government Area of the state, Hamzat added that the aspirants do not need to fight but need to compete for continued develop­ment in the state.

“It’s a competition of ideas. How do we move our people for­ward? So we intend to move peo­ple forward, to develop the state; we don’t need to fight. As you can see, we are peaceful. So that’s the momentum that we are taking to the election. We are not con­cerned about fighting,” he said.

While commending the peace­ful conduct of the APC primaries across the state, Dr. Hamzat stated that the turnout and orderliness of party members at the gover­norship primary pointed to a bright future of the party’s inter­nal democracy.

Chairman and returning offi­cer for Lagos APC Governorship and House of Assembly prima­ries, Gen Jonathan Kemlong, an­nounced Dr. Obafemi Hamzat as the winner of the governorship primary.

He said three aspirants showed interest in the governor­ship race but one withdrew from the race.

He announced that Hamzat contested the primary with Lanre Jimi-Kamal who polled one vote, while Hamzat polled 657,917 votes out of the total votes of 657,974 votes from the 20 local govern­ment areas in the state.