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Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress in Ogun State has issued a formal directive ordering all party executives currently occupying statutory government positions to immediately resign from those roles, invoking provisions of the APC constitution and a standing instruction from Governor Dapo Abiodun as the party proceeds through a structured congress cycle that will ultimately feed into the party’s national convention next month.
The directive was made public on Thursday through a statement issued by the state chapter’s Publicity Secretary, Femi Nuberu. It applies to any party executive holding a dual role, meaning an elected or appointed position within the party structure while simultaneously occupying a statutory government appointment. The party said the two categories of office are incompatible, citing the principle of separation of powers and the internal discipline provisions embedded in the APC’s national constitution. The statement read in part: “The party wishes to remind all affected officers that holding dual executive positions in both government and the party structure is inconsistent with the principles of separation of powers and the internal discipline enshrined in the APC Constitution.” The directive cited “the earlier pronouncement” by Governor Abiodun, suggesting the instruction had been communicated previously but had not been universally acted upon. Thursday’s statement appeared designed to enforce compliance ahead of the congresses already underway.
Ward-level congresses across Ogun State’s 20 local government areas kicked off on Wednesday, the same day the directive was announced. Governor Abiodun, who attended the congress in Ward 3, Iperu, in Ikenne Local Government Area, praised the calm atmosphere that characterised the exercise statewide, describing it as a reflection of unity and maturity within the party. He urged members who did not emerge as executives to accept the outcome and remain loyal to the party. “Outside the All Progressives Congress, there is no other party; every other party is a counterfeit,” the governor told party members after the Iperu congress.
The ward congresses are the first of a cascading series of internal elections that will move progressively upward through local government, state, and zonal levels before culminating at the national convention. Under the timetable issued by APC National Secretary Senator Ajibola Basiru, ward congresses were scheduled for February 18, with Local Government Area congresses to follow on February 20 and state congresses set for March 7, 2026. The national convention is fixed for March 25 to 28, 2026. Ogun State’s Wednesday exercise was therefore conducted precisely on schedule.
The congresses are statutory party processes governed by Articles 11 and 17 of the APC constitution, which set out the legal framework for electing party officials at all levels. They serve a dual function, renewing the grassroots leadership structures of the party and selecting delegates who will represent their constituencies at the national convention. At the local government stage, three delegates per council will be elected to attend the national convention, with a requirement that at least one of the three must be female.
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The convention itself carries significant political weight. It will elect a new National Working Committee, the body responsible for the APC’s day-to-day operations, candidate screening, and internal discipline, and is taking place against the backdrop of preparations for the 2027 general elections, in which President Bola Tinubu will be expected to seek a second term. The APC won the presidency in 2023 with Tinubu defeating Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party in a three-way contest, though with a vote share notably lower than his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari had secured in 2019. The requirement that party executives vacate government positions before taking up party roles reflects a recurring tension within Nigerian party politics, where the overlap between official appointments and partisan structures has historically blurred accountability lines and created conflicts of interest. The APC constitution’s prohibition on dual roles is not new, it has existed since the party’s formation in 2013 from the merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria, the Congress for Progressive Change, the All Nigeria Peoples Party, and a breakaway faction of the People’s Democratic Party, but enforcement has varied considerably across state chapters and across administrations.
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Ogun State, located in Nigeria’s South West geopolitical zone, is one of the states in which the APC has maintained consistent control since 2019, when Abiodun was first elected governor. He was re-elected in 2023. The state’s 20 local government areas span an electorate that includes Abeokuta, the state capital, as well as significant industrial and commercial hubs including Agbara and Sagamu. Deputy Governor Noimot Salako-Oyedele, who also attended the ward congresses, described the peaceful outcome as a demonstration that the APC remains the dominant party in the state and credited strong grassroots structures for the orderly conduct.
No timeline was specified in Thursday’s statement for when affected executives must complete their resignations, nor did the party indicate what consequences would follow for those who fail to comply before the local government and state congresses proceed next week and the week after. The APC in Ogun State did not respond to a request for clarification on enforcement. Local government congresses are scheduled for February 20, with appeals to be heard the following day.
