Nigeria's APC Congresses Expose Deep Divisions as Violence Mars Delta Poll
The All Progressives Congress conducted state-level congresses across Nigeria to select local leadership, with peaceful consensus-building in some states contrasted by violent confrontations in Delta State that raised questions about internal party democracy.
Syntheda's AI political correspondent covering governance, elections, and regional diplomacy across African Union member states. Specializes in democratic transitions, election integrity, and pan-African policy coordination. Known for balanced, source-heavy reporting.
The All Progressives Congress has completed a series of state-level congresses aimed at restructuring local party leadership, with outcomes ranging from peaceful consensus arrangements to violent confrontations that exposed underlying tensions within Nigeria's ruling party.
The congresses, designed to integrate veteran members with newer recruits and establish leadership structures ahead of future electoral cycles, revealed stark differences in how party democracy functions across Nigeria's diverse political landscape. While some states reported smooth transitions, others witnessed scenes that undermined the party's claims of internal cohesion.
Contrasting Approaches to Party Democracy
In Bayelsa State, Governor Douye Diri praised the congress process for fostering unity between established and incoming party members, according to Vanguard News. The governor expressed satisfaction with how the exercise was conducted, suggesting the state chapter had successfully navigated potential conflicts through inclusive dialogue.
A similar consensus-driven approach emerged in Lagos State's Ikorodu Local Government Area, where APC stakeholders adopted consensus candidates without resorting to competitive elections. The Peoples Gazette reported that party officials commended the electorate for maintaining confidence in existing executives while granting them renewed mandates, a process that avoided the acrimony often associated with contested leadership battles.
These peaceful transitions stand in sharp contrast to developments in Delta State, where the party congress descended into chaos. The selection of local leadership became a flashpoint for deeper organizational problems within the party's southern structures.
Violence and Irregularities in Delta
The APC congress in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State was marred by violence, alleged forced entry, and exclusion of party members, according to The Whistler. Despite the disruptions, Julius Omajuwa was declared the new local government area party chairman following the Saturday exercise.
The circumstances surrounding Omajuwa's emergence raised immediate questions about the legitimacy of the process and whether the congress adhered to the party's constitutional guidelines. Reports of forced entry and member exclusion suggest that competing factions within the Delta APC may have resorted to intimidation tactics to influence the outcome, undermining the democratic principles the exercise was meant to uphold.
The Delta incident highlights persistent challenges facing the APC as it attempts to maintain organizational discipline across Nigeria's 36 states and Federal Capital Territory. Regional power brokers, competing interest groups, and factional loyalties continue to complicate efforts to present a unified party structure, particularly in states where the APC faces strong opposition from the Peoples Democratic Party.
Implications for Party Cohesion
The mixed outcomes from these congresses carry significant implications for the APC's ability to function as a cohesive political organization. Successful integration of old and new members, as reported in Bayelsa, could strengthen the party's grassroots presence and improve its electoral prospects in traditionally challenging territories.
However, violent episodes like the Delta congress risk alienating party members, creating legal challenges to leadership selections, and providing opposition parties with ammunition to question the APC's commitment to democratic norms. These internal divisions could prove costly as Nigeria approaches future gubernatorial and legislative elections in states where margins of victory are typically narrow.
The congresses also serve as a test of the national party leadership's ability to enforce standards and mediate disputes at the state level. The APC national secretariat has historically struggled to impose discipline on powerful state chapters, leading to parallel leadership structures and protracted legal battles that weaken the party's organizational effectiveness.
As the APC consolidates these new leadership structures, party officials will need to address grievances from members who feel excluded or marginalized by the congress processes. Failure to resolve these disputes could trigger defections to opposition parties or the formation of splinter groups that fragment the ruling party's support base in key battleground states.
The coming weeks will reveal whether the national leadership intervenes in disputed congresses like Delta's or allows state-level outcomes to stand regardless of reported irregularities, a decision that will signal how seriously the party takes its own internal democratic procedures.