APC Launches Fresh Reconciliation Drive Across Five States as 2027 Politics Intensifies

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has stepped up efforts to resolve internal disagreements in five states—Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Benue and Niger—as the ruling party works to manage tensions arising from its recent candidate-selection processes ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The reconciliation initiative is part of broader efforts by the APC National Working Committee (NWC) to address grievances among members and aspirants following the party’s primaries. National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda had earlier said the party had activated conflict-resolution structures to facilitate what he described as an early healing process after internal contests.

The need for reconciliation has been particularly evident in Oyo State, where disagreements followed the emergence of Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the party’s governorship candidate. An APC reconciliation committee subsequently held consultations with several aspirants, including Rauf Olaniyan, Asatola Asanke, Ololade Bakare, Hakeem Alao and Ayobami Lam-Adesina.

According to the Oyo reconciliation committee, the aspirants raised concerns about the conduct and outcome of the governorship primary but indicated their willingness to engage in dialogue. The committee also said the aspirants agreed to respond to an invitation from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu if called upon to discuss their grievances.

Kwara is another state where the APC has formally commenced reconciliation efforts. The state reconciliation committee, chaired by retired Colonel AbdulWahab Ademola Lawal, appealed to aggrieved members to embrace dialogue following disagreements connected to the party’s primary elections.

The Kwara committee said its mandate includes meeting with aggrieved members and stakeholders, identifying the causes of disputes and facilitating possible settlements. It also plans consultations across the state’s three senatorial districts before submitting recommendations to the party’s state executive leadership.

Benue has also featured prominently in the APC’s internal reconciliation efforts. Earlier in 2026, competing factions linked to Governor Hyacinth Alia and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, held parallel party congresses, prompting the national leadership to consider reconciliation measures.

In Niger State, Governor Umaru Bago has also been involved in reconciliation efforts directed at addressing grievances arising from the party’s primary process. The development forms part of a wider pattern in which APC state chapters are seeking to contain internal disagreements before they affect preparations for the next general elections.

The situation in Osun carries a different context because the state held its governorship election on August 15, 2026. Before the poll, APC candidate Bola Oyebamiji and other candidates signed a peace accord organised by the National Peace Committee in partnership with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The wider reconciliation campaign reflects the challenges confronting major political parties after primary elections, when aspirants who fail to secure tickets and their supporters may raise objections to the process. The Nation has reported that such post-primary disputes have affected several APC chapters and have resulted in litigation, protests and other forms of internal disagreement.

For the APC, the immediate task is therefore to translate its reconciliation committees into workable agreements among competing interests while maintaining party cohesion. The latest moves in Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Benue and Niger show that the party’s leadership is treating internal dispute resolution as a significant part of its preparations for the 2027 electoral cycle.