The strength of any political party lies not merely in its electoral victories but in its commitment to fairness, discipline, transparency, and respect for established procedures. A party that cannot effectively manage its internal affairs will inevitably struggle to convince the electorate that it can competently govern public affairs. Unfortunately, recent developments within the All Progressives Congress (APC) concerning the conduct and outcome of its primary elections raise serious concerns about the state of internal democracy, party discipline, and administrative competence.
The National Chairman of the APC clearly stated, both in an official media release and subsequent interviews, that the National Headquarters of the party remains the only authority empowered to officially announce winners of the party's primary elections for all elective positions. He further clarified that, as of that time, only the President had been formally declared the winner of the presidential primary election and issued a Certificate of Return. By implication, every other contestant in the various primary elections across the country remained an aspirant pending official declaration and certification by the party's National Working Committee.
Against this clear directive, a disturbing pattern has emerged in Oyo State. One of the governorship aspirants, Barrister Sharafadeen Alli, has been publicly presenting himself as the APC Governorship Candidate for Oyo State. More troubling is the fact that several gullible, coerced and influenced party leaders within the state have repeatedly referred to him as the party's candidate despite the absence of any official declaration from the National Headquarters.
The situation became even more concerning when the State Chairman of the APC reportedly described him as the party's governorship candidate. The matter escalated further when the National Secretary of the party also made references suggesting that Barrister Alli was already the APC candidate for the governorship election in Oyo State.
These actions raise fundamental questions. If the National Chairman has clearly stated that only the National Headquarters possesses the authority to announce winners and issue Certificates of Return, what authority empowers state officials and even national officers to make pronouncements that appear to pre-empt the official declaration of results?
A few days ago, the National Headquarters of the APC released a list of candidates who emerged victorious in the party's senatorial primary elections across the country. Significantly, no candidate was declared for any of the three senatorial districts in Oyo State. This means that, as far as the official position of the party is concerned, there is still no confirmed APC senatorial candidate in Oyo North, Oyo Central, or Oyo South Senatorial Districts.
This development makes the situation surrounding the governorship primary even more puzzling. If the party has not found it appropriate to officially declare victorious candidates for any of the three senatorial districts in Oyo State, what justifies the continued public presentation of Barrister Sharafadeen Alli as the APC Governorship Candidate? More importantly, why has the party leadership remained silent while such representations continue unabated?
The absence of any caution, correction, or clarification from the relevant authorities inevitably fuels suspicion and speculation among party members. It creates the unfortunate impression that certain outcomes have already been determined while official processes are merely being delayed. Whether that perception is accurate or not is secondary; what matters is that the actions and silence of party officials are creating doubts in the minds of party members and the wider public. In politics, perception often becomes reality.
The APC leadership must understand that neutrality is not merely a virtue during a primary election process—it is an obligation. Every
aspirant deserves confidence that the process will be conducted fairly and that party officials will maintain strict impartiality until official results are declared. When party leaders openly identify one aspirant as the winner before official confirmation, they undermine the credibility of the entire process and cast a shadow over the integrity of the party's internal mechanisms.
Equally troubling is the inexplicable delay in announcing the results of primary elections reportedly conducted over a month ago. In an age of modern communication technology, electronic transmission, and instantaneous reporting, there is no reasonable justification for such prolonged silence.
The delay has created anxiety, uncertainty, suspicion, and unnecessary tension among party members. Across various states, party faithful are becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of clarity regarding the status of the primary elections. Aspirants, supporters, and stakeholders remain in limbo while speculation continues to dominate political discussions.
A political party that seeks to govern a nation must demonstrate administrative efficiency in managing its own affairs. The inability to promptly conclude and communicate the outcome of internal elections weakens public confidence in the party's organizational capacity.
More importantly, this delay raises a serious question of moral and political consistency.
If the APC requires more than one month to collate, verify, and officially declare the results of primary elections conducted in approximately 9,000 wards nationwide, what moral authority or locus standi would the party possess to criticize or pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce results of national elections within twenty-four hours when such elections are conducted across more than 300,000 polling units throughout the country?
Political parties have frequently demanded speed, transparency, and efficiency from electoral management bodies. Such demands are legitimate. However, those demands carry greater weight when the parties themselves demonstrate the same standards in the management of their internal electoral processes.
Leadership by example remains the strongest foundation for credibility.
The continued delay in declaring results is already producing damaging consequences. Many party members are becoming disillusioned. Some are openly questioning the sincerity of the process, while others are gradually losing confidence in the neutrality of the party leadership. Reports of defections and growing dissatisfaction among grassroots members should be a source of concern for every APC stakeholder.
A political party preparing for major electoral contests should be focused on strengthening unity, reconciling competing interests, consolidating support structures, and energizing its membership base. Instead, prolonged uncertainty is creating avoidable divisions and breeding distrust among loyal members.
A well-managed political party should embody certain fundamental principles:
• Respect for established rules and procedures.
• Prompt communication and transparency.
• Strict neutrality by party officials during contests.
• Equal treatment of all aspirants.
• Effective conflict resolution mechanisms.
• Timely declaration of election outcomes.
• Internal accountability and discipline.
• Respect for due process.
• Protection of members' confidence in party institutions.
When these principles are compromised, party cohesion suffers. Internal grievances multiply. Electoral prospects weaken.
The APC leadership must therefore act decisively to restore confidence in the process. The National Working Committee should immediately clarify the status of all pending primary election results and ensure that no individual or group is permitted to assume a status that has not been officially conferred by the party.
Furthermore, party officials at every level must be reminded that their words carry weight and that premature declarations can damage the credibility of the organization they represent. No aspirant, regardless of influence or perceived advantage, should be allowed to publicly assume the title of candidate while the party itself has not formally completed the process of declaration and certification.
Silence in the face of obvious procedural violations can easily be interpreted as endorsement. The National Leadership must therefore demonstrate that no individual is above party rules and that institutional integrity remains more important than personal preferences or political expediency.
The APC stands at a critical moment. It can either reinforce the principles of fairness, transparency, and internal democracy or allow perceptions of favoritism and administrative inconsistency to erode the confidence of its members.
The future strength of the party depends not only on winning elections but also on convincing its members and the Nigerian public that its internal processes are credible, transparent, and worthy of trust.
That trust is earned through actions, not silence.
Olawale Aderibigbe is a public affairs analyst and writes from Igbo-Ora, Oyo State, Nigeria.
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