2027: Ogun APC members protest, demand participation in primaries

This report from The Punch highlights internal dissent within Nigeria's All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State, as party members voice grievances over electoral processes ahead of the 2027 general elections. The protest in Abeokuta South Local Government centers on the alleged refusal to issue membership cards, which the aggrieved members believe is a tactic to disenfranchise them and pave the way for imposed candidates.

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Give us our membership cards. We want to vote. We have been loyal APC members from the beginning. We are loyal supporters and political children of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun. Give us our membership cards so that we can have access to vote.

The demonstrators, identifying as loyal party members and supporters of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Dapo Abiodun, are asserting their right to participate fully in the party's democratic processes. Their placards clearly articulate their demands: "Give Us Our Membership Cards," and "We Don’t Want Imposition." This sentiment underscores a desire for internal party democracy and a rejection of what they perceive as undemocratic practices by party leadership.

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We don’t want imposition in our local government. We want our primary election, and we really need security in that primary election. We want to vote for our own leader. We don’t want any leader to choose for us.

The APC's response, through its Publicity Secretary, Femi Nuberu, offers a counter-narrative. Nuberu denies the claims of card denial, explaining that members have the means to access and print their cards online or through designated ward officials. This suggests a potential disconnect between the party's official communication channels and the grassroots membership, or perhaps a deliberate attempt to control access to party structures. The situation reflects broader challenges within Nigerian political parties regarding transparency, internal democracy, and candidate selection, particularly as the country gears up for future elections.

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We, the members of APC, want to vote for our true leader, our House of Representatives candidate, our Senate candidate, and our House of Assembly candidate by ourselves. We don’t want any leader to impose candidates on us.