Some aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 general elections on Tuesday clashed with officials of the party over an alleged directive making the submission of withdrawal forms compulsory alongside nomination documents.
The disagreement reportedly involved the National Secretary of the party, Senator Ajibola Basiru, following allegations that aspirants were instructed not to submit their completed Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms unless accompanied by signed withdrawal forms.
The aspirants argued that it was unreasonable for them to pay huge sums ranging from N20 million to N100 million for nomination forms and still be compelled to sign documents indicating their readiness to withdraw from the race.
One of the documents contained in the APC nomination package is a withdrawal form. Party officials, however, explained that the form was intended to be voluntary and not compulsory.
According to the officials, signing the withdrawal form implies that an aspirant is willing to step down from the contest if directed by the party leadership, while refusal to sign allows the aspirant to pursue the race to the end.
Trouble reportedly started on Tuesday when staff deployed for the sale and collection of forms allegedly informed some aspirants that they could not accept their completed documents without the signed withdrawal form.
The development created tension at the submission centre as several aspirants insisted that the withdrawal form was optional and that their nomination documents should be accepted without it.
The staff members, however, maintained that they were acting on the instruction of the National Secretary.
The situation nearly degenerated into chaos before the intervention of the APC National Legal Adviser, who reportedly overruled the directive and instructed officials to accept the completed nomination forms from aspirants who declined to sign the withdrawal forms.
One of the affected aspirants, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that the withdrawal form was part of a strategy to impose consensus candidates on contestants.
“How can I pay as much as N20 million for nomination forms and still be asked to sign a withdrawal form at the same time?”
