The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday said its presidential ticket for the 2027 general election remains open to contestants.
Briefing journalists in Abuja, APC National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, dismissed speculations that the party will print one presidential nomination form solely for Tinubu in order to exclude other party chieftains from the contest for its ticket.
Argungu stated that although both the National Working Committee and various state chapters had adopted President Tinubu as the preferred candidate, the process remains open to all potential aspirants.
“It will be the wish of the party, and we, the NWC of the party, have already endorsed President Tinubu as the next presidential candidate of the party. And by extension, other organs have equally done the same thing,” he said.
“Governors in the states have done the same, too. It has also been replicated in all six geographical zones of the country. But it does not mean that the door is closed.
“We will definitely not close our doors. When the time comes, our timetable will be made known. Anybody who wants to be the president under the APC will not be denied the opportunity to purchase the expression of interest and nomination forms to exercise their franchise.
“We never said we had locked the door. We are only telling people that we appreciate what the President is doing for the people of the country and that he deserves a second term in office when we roundly endorsed him recently.”
“Democracy does not permit dictatorship. While the majority of our members have endorsed President Tinubu, any other aspirant who wishes to contest under the APC platform will still be allowed to do so.”
He further assured that the APC would continue to abide by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) timetable and the provisions of the Electoral Act to ensure a credible and inclusive selection process.
Argungu explained that the wins recorded in states traditionally controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recent by-elections reflects the electorate’s faith in APC’s vision, manifesto and a testament of the growing confidence in the ruling party and President Tinubu’s administration.
