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APC Waives Screening for President Tinubu Ahead of 2027 Primaries: NWC Declares Incumbent "Duly Screened," Shettima Submits Forms as Opposition Cries Foul
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re‑election bid received a major boost as the APC National Working Committee waived the screening exercise for the incumbent.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has taken an extraordinary step that effectively clears the path for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to contest the 2027 presidential election without undergoing the party's formal screening exercise — a decision that has already ignited a firestorm of legal and political debate. In a resolution issued after its 188th meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) on Wednesday, May 6, the ruling party declared that President Tinubu had been "duly screened" ahead of the 2022 primaries and that requiring his physical appearance before another screening panel for 2027 would be both "redundant and unnecessary." The move, which the NWC anchored on Articles 13.4 (xiii) and (xiv) of the APC Constitution, marks the opening salvo in what promises to be a fiercely contested pre‑election season.
The resolution was not an impulsive one. According to the communiqué released by the party's National Secretary, the NWC received "overwhelming endorsements" from the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), the leadership of the National Assembly, the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, and a cross‑section of the party's grassroots organs — all urging that the incumbent be spared a fresh screening. The party also cited the continuity of the President's leadership and the need to avoid internal distractions as Nigeria navigates what it described as "transformative but challenging economic times." By Thursday morning, Vice President Kashim Shettima had formally submitted Tinubu's expression of interest and nomination forms at the party's National Secretariat, signalling that the machinery of re‑election is already in high gear — a year before the primaries are slated to hold.
The NWC's Legal Basis — and Its Critics
The NWC's decision rests on what it describes as the "doctrine of continuity of screening" — the argument that a candidate who has previously been screened and cleared for the same office by the same party should not be subjected to repetitive scrutiny unless there are material changes in the candidate's status. Party officials pointed to Article 13.4 (xiii), which empowers the NWC to "interpret the party's rules and regulations," and Article 13.4 (xiv), which allows it to "take such administrative decisions as may be necessary for the smooth running of the party." Reading the two provisions together, the NWC concluded that waiving the screening for President Tinubu was both procedurally permissible and administratively pragmatic.
However, the decision has drawn immediate criticism from opposition parties, civil society organisations, and even some silent voices within the APC who fear the precedent it sets. "This is not about President Tinubu as a person — it is about the principle that no one, however powerful, should be above the rules of their own party," said Barrister Clement Nwankwo, a respected Abuja‑based constitutional lawyer and executive director of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC). "If the screening is truly redundant for the President, then the proper approach would be to ask him to appear briefly, satisfy the committee, and be cleared. Waiving it entirely sends a message of exceptionalism that can be weaponised by opponents." The People's Democratic Party (PDP) has already described the move as "another instalment of the APC's contempt for due process," while the Labour Party called it "a dress rehearsal for a one‑party state."
Within the APC, the decision is being read as a strategic consolidation of Tinubu's incumbency. By securing an early clearance, the President's camp aims to discourage potential challengers within the party from organising, fundraising, or building momentum. A presidential aide who spoke to Unuevbo TV on condition of anonymity confirmed this reading: "You don't wait until the last minute to show your hand. The message to anyone nursing an ambition is clear — the structure is behind the President, and the party is not in the mood for a destructive primary."
Shettima Submits Forms, Sets the Clock Ticking
Vice President Kashim Shettima's submission of Tinubu's presidential forms on Thursday was a choreographed piece of political theatre. Accompanied by a delegation of governors, ministers, and party stalwarts, Shettima arrived at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja shortly after noon, waving the bound documents before a bank of cameras. "The President has asked me to convey his profound gratitude to the National Working Committee and to all organs of the party for their unanimous endorsement," Shettima told journalists. "He sees this not as an entitlement but as a mandate to continue the difficult work of rebuilding Nigeria."
The submission, coming barely 24 hours after the screening waiver, means that Tinubu is now the first candidate formally in the APC presidential race — a full year ahead of when most aspirants would even begin consultations. The optics are deliberate: the party wants Nigerians — and its own internal stakeholders — to see a united front, even if fissures exist beneath the surface. Already, some APC chieftains in the North‑Central and parts of the North‑East, where sentiments about power rotation remain raw, have begun murmuring that the early clearance amounts to a coronation that ignores the party's convention of rotational presidency. However, none have been willing to go on the record, a testament to the political cost of challenging the incumbent within the ruling party.
A Year of Manoeuvres: What the Waiver Means for 2027
The 2027 general election cycle, though still over a year away, is already intensifying. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is expected to release the official timetable later this year, but political parties are required under the Electoral Act to conduct primaries and submit candidate lists well ahead of the polls. By waiving Tinubu's screening now, the APC has effectively fired the starting gun — and not all party members are comfortable with the pace. "We are watching a candidate being anointed, not a primary being held," said a member of the APC's National Executive Committee who requested anonymity. "There are legitimate questions about governance, about the economy, about security, that should be debated in a primary. Waiving screening shortcuts that debate."
Legal challenges to the waiver are almost certain. The Electoral Act requires parties to conduct primaries in accordance with their constitutions and guidelines, and a candidate who is not properly screened could face disqualification at the hands of INEC or the courts. However, legal experts note that the hurdle for such a challenge is high, particularly given that the NWC's decision was backed by the party's highest administrative body and that Tinubu's original screening in 2022 was never successfully challenged. "The courts are generally reluctant to interfere in the internal affairs of political parties unless there is clear evidence of a violation of an express provision of the law or the party constitution," explained Professor Itse Sagay, a constitutional lawyer and former chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption. "Here, the party is interpreting its own rules, and the courts will give them wide latitude to do so."
Nevertheless, the opposition is likely to use the waiver as a campaign issue, framing it as evidence of the APC's authoritarian instincts. In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) called the decision "a slap in the face of democracy" and vowed to challenge it through "every legal and political means available." Whether such challenges will gain traction remains to be seen, but they ensure that the screening waiver will remain in the headlines as the 2027 season heats up.
A Defining Moment for Party Democracy
The APC's decision to waive President Tinubu's screening is more than a procedural footnote — it is a statement about how the ruling party intends to approach the 2027 election. By clearing the President without a fresh vetting, the party has signalled that incumbency will be protected at nearly any cost, and that internal competition is unwelcome. For Tinubu, the early clearance is a political windfall, allowing him to focus on governance while potential rivals are frozen out. For the opposition, it is a ready‑made attack line. And for the Nigerian electorate, it is a reminder that, a full year before the ballots are cast, the battle for 2027 has already begun — not in polling booths, but in the committee rooms of the ruling party.
Stay tuned to Unuevbo TV for continuing coverage of the 2027 presidential race, party primaries, and the political strategies shaping the future of Nigerian democracy.
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