President Bola Tinubu met behind closed doors with All Progressives Congress governors on Thursday evening to ensure peaceful primaries. The meeting took place at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Governors emphasized the president's directives for fair and transparent elections.
President Bola Tinubu hosted APC governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday evening, April 23, 2026, ahead of the party's primaries. The closed-door session aimed to promote a peaceful and transparent primary process following the release of the APC timetable.
Key attendees included Progressive Governors’ Forum Chairman and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, as well as governors Inuwa Yahaya, Umar Bago of Niger State, Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Hyacinth Alia of Benue State, Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State, and Peter Mbah of Enugu State. Some states sent deputy governors.
After the meeting, Governor AbdulRazaq told journalists: “We met with Mr. President. The timetable for the primaries has been released. We’ve discussed the process moving forward, so that there’ll be free and fair elections, no rancour, and at the end of the process, the party should be one, stronger than ever, heading towards the election.”
Niger State Governor Umar Bago added that the governors thanked Tinubu for his support and leadership. He said the president provided clear directions on primaries, affirming governors' autonomy under the Electoral Act for consensus or direct primaries, and gave them the go-ahead.
