THE National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress has been urged to extend the waiver of screening requirements granted to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to all serving APC governors seeking re-election or contesting for senatorial seats.
The call was made in a press statement signed by Umar D. Duhu, LLM, Ph.D, who argued that fairness, equity, and consistency within the party demand that all similarly placed incumbents enjoy the same privilege recently accorded to the President.
The APC NWC, at its 188th meeting held on May 6, 2026, had resolved to waive the screening requirements for President Tinubu on the grounds of incumbency, prior clearance, and overwhelming endorsement by the party.
According to the statement, extending the waiver to APC governors seeking another term or Senate seats would promote party unity and institutional stability.
Duhu maintained that the recommendation was based on two major grounds.
First, he argued that serving governors, like the President, had already undergone the party’s screening and clearance process before assuming office, making any repeat exercise unnecessary and duplicative.
“Requiring them to undergo the same process again constitutes procedural duplication and serves no practical purpose in the interest of internal cohesion,” the statement noted.
Secondly, the statement stressed that serving governors enjoy constitutional immunity under Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which shields them from civil and criminal proceedings while in office.
It added that this legal protection places governors in a position similar to that of the President, thereby justifying equal treatment regarding party screening requirements.
The statement further urged the APC leadership to maintain uniformity in the application of Article 13.4 (xiii) and (xiv) of the party’s constitution in order to avoid what it described as selective enforcement.
According to Duhu, applying the same waiver principle across board would reinforce internal party discipline, strengthen cohesion, and demonstrate fairness in the administration of the APC’s internal processes.
He added that such a move would help preserve institutional stability within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
