APC Founding Members Fight Back as Newcomers Move to Hijack Party Structures Ahead of 2027 Elections

With the 2027 general elections drawing closer, fresh internal cracks have emerged within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as some of its founding members push back against the influx of powerful defectors being courted by the party’s national leadership.

 

From Kano to Delta, Plateau, Enugu, and Osun States, long-serving party loyalists are raising alarms over what they describe as attempts by newcomers to hijack party structures, marginalize original members, and distort local power balances ahead of the next election cycle.

 

 

Delta: Omo-Agege loyalists cry foul

 

In Delta State, loyalists of former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, have warned against what they see as the sidelining of party veterans since the defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

According to sources within the state chapter, Omo-Agege’s camp feels “completely displaced” and fears that the APC’s internal hierarchy has tilted heavily in favour of the governor’s new bloc.

 

Kano: Kwankwaso’s conditions rattle Ganduje camp

 

The battle for control is most intense in Kano State, where the APC’s move to woo former governor and NNPP leader, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has sparked serious unease.

Kwankwaso, who once defected from the APC, has reportedly made a return conditional on the full integration of his powerful Kwankwasiyya movement into the party’s structure — a demand that has put him on a collision course with loyalists of former APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje.

 

Ganduje’s camp fears that should Kwankwaso return, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, his political protégé, would automatically become the new leader of the APC in the state.

On September 25, Ganduje met key stakeholders in Abuja — including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and former governors Kabiru Gaya and Basheer Lado — to strengthen his hold on the state structure and reaffirm loyalty to President Bola Tinubu.

 

However, insiders say unease persists. “If the Kwankwasiyya group joins the APC, only Senator Barau Jibrin may retain his ticket; others could be displaced,” an APC source revealed.

 

 

Enugu: Mbah’s quiet entry triggers crisis

 

In Enugu, internal tensions flared following reports that Governor Peter Mbah had been approached to join the APC.

 

The move reportedly unsettled the camp of former Minister of Science and Innovation, Geoffrey Nnaji, who resigned from Tinubu’s cabinet earlier this month amid controversy over his academic credentials.

 

Party insiders claim that Nnaji’s ouster was the culmination of internal wrangling over control of the state structure — a conflict exacerbated by Mbah’s alleged defection moves.

 

Osun: Adeleke’s speculated defection sparks resistance

 

In Osun State, rumours that Governor Ademola Adeleke may join the APC after a meeting with President Tinubu have sparked sharp resistance from the camp of his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola, now Minister of Marine and Blue Economy.

 

Oyetola’s loyalists, who currently hold sway within the APC structure, are said to be wary of any move that could shift the balance of power away from them.

 

Plateau: Tinubu’s bridge-building hits resistance

Perhaps the most dramatic showdown is unfolding in Plateau State, where the party’s “old guard” is resisting alleged moves to bring Governor Caleb Mutfwang of the PDP into the APC fold.

 

The pushback, reportedly led by loyalists of APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has divided the state chapter and drawn the attention of the presidency.

 

At a stakeholders’ meeting in Jos last week, a motion was reportedly adopted to bar Governor Mutfwang from joining the party — a decision that has been condemned by the pro-Tinubu Renewed Hope Advocates of Nigeria (RHAN).

 

The group’s coordinator, Comrade Prince Miaphen, described the move as “reckless, self-serving and politically suicidal,” warning that the Plateau APC risked alienating key voting blocs ahead of 2027.

 

Miaphen accused Prof. Yilwatda of allowing “personal grievances from his 2023 electoral defeat” to influence party strategy. “Blocking a sitting governor with over two million registered voters from joining the APC shows a dangerous disconnect from national reality,” he said.

 

Political observers say the Plateau crisis underscores the wider dilemma within the APC — how to balance loyalty to founding members with the need to expand its national coalition.

 

While some argue that welcoming defectors strengthens the party ahead of 2027, others believe it undermines the sacrifices of those who built the APC from scratch.

 

A recurring theme across states

Party sources admit that “power sharing lies at the heart of the pushback” across several states. In many cases, defectors arrive with incumbency advantages, disrupting long-established local hierarchies.

 

An APC insider noted, “The fear of displacement is real. Founding members feel like they’re being pushed aside by those who fought against the party just a year ago.”

 

Interestingly, similar tensions are also emerging within the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), where original members are said to be resisting attempts by new entrants to dominate party organs from the national to ward levels.

 

Looking ahead

With less than two years to the 2027 elections, analysts warn that the APC’s biggest challenge may not come from the opposition, but from within.

 

Unless the party’s national leadership can manage these internal rivalries and establish clear power-sharing arrangements, the struggle for control could weaken the very foundation on which its 2027 campaign will stand.

As one senior party official bluntly put it:

 

“Our problem is not the PDP or Labour Party — it’s ourselves. If we can’t resolve these internal wars, 2027 might surprise a lot of people.”