By Vincent Egunyanga, Abuja
Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is positioned to generate an estimated ₦13.386 billion from the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms ahead of the 2027 general elections, underscoring the enormous financial scale of its internal political process as jockeying for power intensifies nationwide.
If the party maintains nomination costs along previous pricing patterns and largely adopts consensus arrangements for candidate emergence, the projected revenue could become one of the largest ever realised from party primaries in Nigeria’s democratic history.
Under this projection, the presidential form alone could deliver ₦100 million if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerges as the party’s sole candidate.
Governorship forms across the 26 states expected to conduct regular governorship elections in 2027, at ₦60 million each, could fetch the party about ₦1.56 billion.
For Senate contests, nomination forms for all 109 senatorial districts at ₦20 million each are projected to generate ₦2.18 billion.
House of Representatives forms for 360 constituencies, priced at ₦10 million each, could produce ₦3.6 billion.
At the state level, nomination forms for 991 State House of Assembly seats nationwide, priced at ₦6 million per aspirant, are expected to yield the highest share of the projected income, totalling ₦5.946 billion.
Combined, these categories place APC’s minimum projected earnings from nomination sales at ₦13.386 billion.
This estimate assumes that one candidate emerges per office in many areas, particularly through consensus-backed arrangements.
If multiple aspirants run in competitive districts and politically strategic states, total revenue could rise significantly above current projections.
The scale of these figures has once again drawn attention to concerns about the high cost of political participation in Nigeria, where critics argue that rising nomination fees increasingly place elective offices beyond the reach of many qualified but less financially powerful aspirants.
*’10 open governorship seats may fuel party’s succession fights’
Beyond the financial implications, APC’s 2027 primaries are also being shaped by major succession battles in states where governors are constitutionally barred from seeking another term.
Ten governors, including APC governors in Lagos, Ogun, Kwara, Borno, Gombe, Nasarawa and Yobe, as well as governors in opposition-controlled states such as Oyo, Bauchi and Adamawa, are expected to leave office in 2027 after completing their second terms.
Their departure is opening up some of the country’s most strategically important gubernatorial contests.
In Lagos, political manoeuvring has already intensified as various APC figures begin positioning to succeed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Among those openly seeking relevance in the unfolding succession race is Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, who has continued to push for an open contest.
Other influential APC stakeholders and long-standing political actors are also believed to be quietly building alliances ahead of what is expected to be a highly competitive battle for control of Nigeria’s economic capital.
In Ogun State, succession politics are gathering momentum, with several APC heavyweights, including Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, already linked to the race to replace Governor Dapo Abiodun.
Zoning considerations, regional calculations, and entrenched political interests are expected to shape the contest significantly.
In Oyo State, although APC is currently in opposition, the expected exit of Governor Seyi Makinde is fueling renewed calculations among prominent APC leaders who see the transition as an opportunity to reclaim power.
Similarly, in Gombe, Nasarawa, Kwara, Borno and Yobe, party stakeholders are increasingly engaged in consultations, alliance-building and strategic repositioning as governors prepare to hand over power.
