The All Progressives Congress (APC) is preparing for a sweeping leadership reorganisation, as internal momentum builds toward a national elective convention expected to hold in December 2025. Party insiders suggest the upcoming changes are aimed at repositioning the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Key figures within the party, including governors and influential members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), are pushing for a complete overhaul of the National Working Committee (NWC). The NEC is scheduled to meet on July 24, and is expected to constitute a convention planning committee that will supervise preparations for the December event.
While some members of the current NWC are lobbying to limit the changes to just the replacement of acting National Chairman Ali Bukar Dalori, many high-ranking stakeholders are said to be united in their demand for a full-scale elective convention that will usher in a new leadership team.
The party’s constitution, amended in 2022, recognises 22 NWC positions, including the national chairman, secretary, deputy chairmen for North and South, six zonal vice chairmen, legal adviser, treasurer, financial secretary, publicity secretary, youth and women leaders, among others. Article 17 of the constitution provides that elected officers serve four-year terms, renewable once, with a cap of eight years in the same position. It also prohibits any individual from holding state and national offices simultaneously.
Despite these provisions, no APC chairman has completed a full term in office. The latest resignation was that of former Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, who stepped down on June 27. His exit is widely viewed as part of a broader power realignment within the party ahead of 2027.
Following Ganduje’s resignation, the party’s Deputy National Secretary, Festus Fuanter, announced that the NEC meeting will be held at the APC headquarters in Abuja on July 24. He noted that any proposal to nominate a new chairman will be subject to deliberation and ratification at the convention.
Sources familiar with internal consultations revealed that there is currently no serious move to replace Dalori before the December convention. Instead, party leaders and members of the Presidency are said to prefer allowing Dalori to manage the party until the new leadership is elected at the convention.
Several sources also confirmed that the planned convention is not just about leadership change, but also reflects the party’s intention to accommodate new entrants, particularly powerful governors and politicians who have joined or are expected to join the APC in the lead-up to 2027. These developments, according to insiders, necessitate a broader restructuring of the NWC to reflect current political realities.
While lobbying efforts by some NWC members to retain their positions are ongoing, many within the party hierarchy believe that only a full convention can provide the legitimacy and stability the APC needs heading into the next general election. It was further revealed that governors are expected to brief President Bola Tinubu in the coming days, after which the final agenda for the NEC meeting will be determined.
Efforts to reach the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, were unsuccessful, as his phone line was unreachable at the time of filing this report. However, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Duro Meseko, revealed that discussions about a December convention are still speculative. He maintained that only the NEC can determine whether such a convention will take place, and added that consultations with the President would offer clearer direction in the coming days.
Meanwhile, APC’s Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, described Ganduje’s resignation as voluntary and dismissed claims that it signalled weakness in the party’s structure. He urged party supporters and opponents alike not to misread the situation, noting that Ganduje remains a committed member of the APC and is still positioned to contribute to its growth.
He also reassured Nigerians that the APC would emerge stronger following its NEC meeting and other forthcoming engagements, saying the party remains committed to consolidating the achievements of the Tinubu administration and delivering on its Renewed Hope agenda.
With the NEC meeting now just days away, expectations are high that the APC is poised for a major internal realignment that could shape its political strategy and leadership framework for the road to 2027.