The Chairman of the National Convention Central Coordination Committee, Aminu Bello Masari, has reaffirmed the commitment of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to its zoning arrangement, warning aspirants against contesting for positions outside their designated regions.
This is as the party already booked President Bola Tinubu for confirmation as it’s sole aspirant/candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Masari described the APC as a “responsible party” that adheres strictly to the principles of federal character and zonal balance.
“APC is a responsible party in Nigeria. In line with federal character, all offices are zoned. If you come to buy a form, it must be for the office zoned to your region,” he said.
He cautioned that any aspirant attempting to contest for a position outside their zone would be viewed with suspicion. “When there is zoning in A and you are in Z, and you want to buy a form in A, we suspect that you are only there to create confusion. Who would like confusion?” he queried.
Masari stressed that the party’s structure, including its National Working Committee (NWC), is built along zonal lines, insisting that disregarding this arrangement undermines democratic principles within the party.
“If you are contesting for an office not zoned to your area, how can you claim to be democratic? We suspect such individuals may be agents trying to destabilise the party, which we will not accept. Nigerians will not accept that,” he added.
On reported legal challenges, the committee chairman stated that the party had not been served with any court processes. “We are not aware that anybody has gone to court. We have not been served. If we are served, we will take notice,” he said, adding that aspirants cannot lay claim to positions not designated to their zones.
Also speaking, the Minister of Information, Bello Idris, disclosed that a total of 8,453 delegates are expected at the convention.
“These are delegates coming from across the 36 states of the federation to Abuja,” he said.
On the budget for the convention, Idris noted that preparations were ongoing and assured that the party would meet all its financial obligations.
“Our budget has a self-adjustment mechanism. We will continue to work on it, and at the end of the day, we will make it public.
“I want to assure you that nobody is being owed as far as this convention is concerned, and we do not intend to owe anyone after the convention,” he said.
Addressing concerns about road conditions and the safety of delegates travelling to the event, the minister expressed confidence in the security situation, noting that no incidents had been recorded so far.
“All of you are coming from different parts of the country. Our delegates are here, and members of the committee have travelled without any incident.
“By God’s grace, we will not record any incident throughout the convention and beyond,” he stressed.
