APGA candidates fear protest votes over Soludo-Tinubu pact

The decision by the governors of Osun and Anambra states, Ademola Adeleke and Prof Chukwuma Soludo, respectively, to coordinate President Bola Tinubu’s campaign in their states has caused anxiety among National Assembly candidates, Sunday PUNCH can report.

Findings by our correspondents showed that while All Progressives Congress candidates contesting National Assembly seats in Osun considered Tinubu’s adoption of Adeleke to head his campaign a setback for their ambitions, some Accord candidates expressed concern that voters might not be sufficiently informed to distinguish between presidential and legislative ballots.

In Anambra, some All Progressives Grand Alliance candidates who spoke with Sunday PUNCH on condition of anonymity on Friday said the development threatened their ambitions.

They said there were indications that the political realignment might benefit candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress.

Both the presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on January 16, 2027, according to the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Each voter will be given three ballot papers for the presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives elections.

Adeleke of Accord and Soludo of APGA were inaugurated as coordinators of the All Progressives Congress 2027 Presidential Campaign Council in Osun and Anambra states on October 14.

Anambra APGA candidates fear voters may elect NDC

Some APGA candidates, who spoke with Sunday PUNCH in separate interviews in Awka, expressed concern that Soludo’s role as Tinubu’s campaign coordinator could weaken their chances.

A House of Representatives candidate in Awka, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, expressed concern that voters and APGA members might cast bloc votes for NDC candidates to express their anger at the governor for supporting the APC.

She said campaign activities had slowed down in the state because of what she described as confusion within the party.

“Although the governor has convened a joint stakeholder meeting for APGA and the APC on Sunday to strategise ahead of the 2027 general elections, everything is currently at a standstill. Even campaigns have stopped because the candidates are confused.

“The governor, who is the leader of the party, never told us from the beginning that anything like this would happen. APGA candidates across Anambra State are not happy right now, and they will never forgive Soludo. Many of us cannot speak publicly now, but we are crying seriously. At the end of the election, if things do not work out well for us, there would be a revolution.

“There’s a possibility that APGA candidates might all lose, even the good candidates among us. The voters are not happy that the governor is aligning with the APC while their own person, Peter Obi, is also on the ballot.

“The NDC wave in Anambra is becoming bigger, and anti-Soludo sentiments are fuelling it now. It is a worrisome development because some of these APGA candidates don’t have any problem with Peter Obi,” she added.

Also speaking, a state House of Assembly candidate disclosed that the internal crisis in APGA had deepened following growing disagreements over Soludo’s appointment as Tinubu’s campaign coordinator.

He said many APGA leaders had protested Soludo’s action, arguing that it could jeopardise the chances of the party’s candidates.

“Many rank-and-file APGA candidates contesting legislative seats feel threatened by the alignment. There is widespread concern at the grassroots level that voters might give sympathy votes to NDC candidates as an expression of their anger.

“How can market women or traders in rural areas be convinced to vote for the APC at the top and then APGA at the bottom? It doesn’t make sense to us. This might just give the NDC candidates the edge over us.

“Some APGA national leaders, stakeholders and supporters have protested the arrangement, feeling that Soludo is sidelining or compromising APGA’s independent identity in favour of the ruling party at the centre, but they are not coming out publicly to do so,” he said.

However, the APGA Publicity Secretary in the state, Ejimofor Opara, said the party was backing Tinubu while remaining committed to electing its candidates to the Senate, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly.

He said all the party’s candidates, supporters and voters had been informed of the arrangement.

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In Osun, both APC and Accord candidates expressed optimism that they would win the election despite the current political arrangement.

However, some APC candidates admitted that Adeleke’s appointment as Tinubu’s campaign coordinator was unfavourable to them.

One of the House of Representatives candidates, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Saturday, said Tinubu and the APC had abandoned the party’s candidates, lamenting that the situation would weaken their chances.

He said, “It is not that we’re afraid, but the reality is that the political situation is not favouring us in the APC. I’m a realist. The fact that the President handed over his campaign to the governor is a huge minus for us because that has boosted the morale of the Accord candidates.

“Another perspective is that the National Secretary of the APC, Ajibola Basiru, and his predecessor, Iyiola Omisore, are with Adeleke, meaning that their supporters are likely to vote for Accord.

“We don’t need to deceive ourselves. The governor is leading the campaign for his party’s candidates across the state. Who is leading ours? Who is going to support us financially? Accord has Adeleke with Tinubu’s support. Who do we have? You can draw your conclusion from that.”

Another House of Representatives candidate described the development as politically wrong, saying Tinubu had not considered the interests of APC candidates in Osun.

“What is happening is abnormal and discouraging. If Adeleke wants to campaign for Tinubu and he wants his party men to vote for the President, he can do it without leading the APC’s campaign in Osun.

“People may keep quiet, but it is not a good development for us, the APC candidates,” he said.

However, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, Wole Oke, said Adeleke’s role in leading Tinubu’s campaign would not confer any advantage on Accord candidates.

He expressed optimism that APC candidates would win the 2027 National and State Assembly elections in Osun.

“Adeleke’s appointment as Osun State PCC Campaign Coordinator was made by our leaders, who are the founders of the party. Their decision, to me, is a law and order that must be obeyed.

“I have won most of my elections as an opposition candidate. Out of the six elections I have had, I contested and won four as an opposition candidate. I won one under a ruling party and lost one under the opposition. So, as for me, I’m not bothered. It is a known terrain. In any case, seeking people’s mandate is a call to service,” Oke said.

Similarly, the APC candidate for Ede-North/Ede-South/Egbedore/Ejigbo Federal Constituency, Ayodele Asalu, said the political situation would benefit the APC more, adding that the tide would turn against Accord.

“I’m confident that this current arrangement will be an advantage for the APC. I will win the election; I am not afraid of anything, and I believe everything will work in our favour,” he said.

However, the Chairman of the Osun Accord National and State Assembly candidates for the 2027 poll, Adewale Egbedun, who is the Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, said the ruling party in the state would win all National Assembly and State Assembly seats in the election.

He also said Accord candidates would support Adeleke in delivering Osun for Tinubu, adding that campaigning for the President would not affect their chances in the election.

Egbedun allayed fears that campaigning for Tinubu might confuse voters who also intended to vote for Accord candidates in the National and State Assembly elections.

“Our expectation is a 38–0 victory for Accord: three senatorial seats, nine House of Representatives seats and 26 seats in the Osun State House of Assembly.

“For us, the victory of President Tinubu in the presidential election will be a victory for everyone supporting him in Osun, whether in Accord or the APC. However, our support for the President does not diminish our commitment to securing victory for Accord in the other elections.

“Therefore, I want to state, with all modesty, that there is no confusion whatsoever in our political camp or state. While I acknowledge that there are challenges in convincing some voters to support our presidential choice, these are issues that can be addressed through sustained engagement and persuasion.”

But a House of Representatives candidate in Osun West Senatorial District said he feared that voters, especially the elderly and illiterate voters, might become confused and vote for the APC in all three elections.

“How do you manage people, particularly the aged and illiterate voters, who love Adeleke and want to vote for the APC because of Tinubu? Won’t they vote APC on all three ballot papers given to them? It is easy to say we support Tinubu, but that name is not on the ballot. What we have is APC, Accord and other parties.

“Once you tell someone to vote for the APC in one election, there is a tendency for that person, especially an elderly voter, to vote for the APC in the other elections as well. That is my worry,” he said on condition of anonymity.

Another candidate who was reluctant to speak with Sunday PUNCH admitted that voter confusion remained a genuine concern when balancing a presidential endorsement with local legislative ambitions.