jonadabugochukwu@gmail.com
BREAKING NEWS: APC Has Not Ruled Out Presidential Ticket for Tinubu – Viral Report Misleading
DOCUNEWS CENTRAL | Wednesday, August 27, 2025
NO OFFICIAL STATEMENT DENYING TINUBU AN AUTOMATIC TICKET
Abuja, Nigeria – In the past 24 hours, a story has been making the rounds on social media and several blogs, claiming that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced it will not give President Bola Ahmed Tinubu an automatic presidential ticket for the 2027 election, even though he remains the party’s “endorsed candidate.”
After a close investigation by DocuNews Central, that story has been found to be misleading and inaccurate.
What Really Happened?
The confusion comes from two different political developments that have been mistakenly joined together:
- APC’s Endorsement of Tinubu (May 2025)
In May this year, at a special party summit in Abuja, APC governors, the National Working Committee, and senior party leaders formally endorsed President Tinubu as the party’s sole presidential candidate for 2027.
This was widely reported in reliable outlets such as Reuters, Premium Times, and TheCable.
At the event, APC’s National Chairman even declared that the party is united behind Tinubu and sees no reason to shop for another candidate.
- APC’s Denial of Automatic Tickets for Lawmakers (June 2025)
Weeks later, APC’s spokesperson, Felix Morka, came out strongly to dismiss rumors that lawmakers would be given automatic return tickets for the 2027 elections.
He described the reports as “fake” and of “mischievous origin.”
This statement was about National Assembly seats, not the presidential ticket.
Unfortunately, some blogs and commentators merged these two separate issues, creating the false impression that APC had also withdrawn an “automatic ticket” from Tinubu.
Understanding the Politics
To fully understand, it is important to explain how party nominations work under Nigerian law.
The Electoral Act of 2022 allows political parties to choose their candidates through direct primaries, indirect primaries, or consensus.
If a party adopts consensus, it must have written consent from every cleared aspirant. If even one aspirant refuses, the party is legally required to hold a primary.
This means there is no such thing as a legally automatic ticket in Nigeria’s system. Even when a party “endorses” a candidate, the law still gives room for others to challenge through the nomination process.
So, when APC leaders endorsed Tinubu in May, it was a political move, not the legal nomination process.
If no one else in APC buys forms to challenge Tinubu, the endorsement will stand unchallenged. But if another aspirant insists on contesting, APC must organize primaries under the law.
Voices of Dissent
Not everyone in APC is happy with the “sole candidate” language.
Charles Udeogaranya, a former presidential aspirant, has openly declared that he will contest the APC ticket against Tinubu. He argued that “there is no room for automatic tickets in APC or Nigerian democracy.”
Some other party members have quietly expressed concerns about how endorsements could alienate potential aspirants.
This shows that even though Tinubu’s endorsement is strong, it does not fully shut the door against competition.
What This Means for 2027
Tinubu remains APC’s officially endorsed candidate.
No official statement has been made by APC saying Tinubu will be denied an automatic ticket.
The only official denial so far relates to lawmakers, not the presidency.
The final process will be guided by INEC’s election timetable and the Electoral Act, meaning a primary could still be triggered if another aspirant refuses consensus.
Conclusion
The claim that APC has “announced it will not issue an automatic ticket for President Tinubu” is false.
The truth is simpler:
APC endorsed Tinubu as sole candidate in May 2025.
APC denied automatic tickets for lawmakers in June 2025.
Some blogs confused these two separate events, leading to the misleading viral story.
For now, President Tinubu remains the man to beat in APC’s 2027 race. Unless another aspirant openly defies the endorsement and forces a primary, Tinubu’s path to becoming APC’s presidential flag bearer looks very clear and very strong.
📰 DocuNews Central will continue to fact-check political claims ahead of 2027 to keep readers fully informed and free from misinformation.
