The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has clarified that it deliberately chose not to field a presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, saying the decision followed its endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for a second term.
The party said its absence from the presidential contest should not be interpreted as a failure to comply with the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) nomination process, insisting that the move was a strategic political decision approved by its National Executive Committee (NEC).
Speaking in an interview with Vanguard, APGA National Publicity Secretary, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, said the party’s leadership reached the decision after extensive consultations and resolved to support Tinubu’s re-election bid.
“We have not uploaded a presidential candidate because the National Executive Committee of the party has already taken a decision to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election in 2027,” Opara said.
Despite not participating in the presidential race, Opara stressed that APGA remains fully committed to the 2027 elections and has successfully submitted the names of its candidates for the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly elections.
“However, I can confirm that APGA has successfully uploaded all its candidates for the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly elections to the INEC portal,” he stated.
According to the party spokesman, all required nomination documents for APGA candidates contesting Senate, House of Representatives and state assembly seats were submitted within the timeline set by the electoral commission.
He dismissed suggestions that the party’s decision signalled a withdrawal from the 2027 general election, explaining that APGA would actively compete in legislative elections across the country while supporting Tinubu at the presidential level.
Opara maintained that the absence of an APGA presidential candidate on INEC’s nomination portal was intentional and reflected the party’s adopted political strategy.
He said the alliance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at the presidential level would not diminish APGA’s identity or affect its ambition to expand its influence in the National Assembly and state legislatures.
According to him, the party’s immediate priority is to increase its representation in the Senate, House of Representatives and state assemblies, describing legislative presence as essential to advancing APGA’s programmes and protecting the interests of its supporters.
Opara added that the party would continue mobilising Nigerians to support its legislative candidates while urging members to remain united behind the NEC’s decision to endorse President Tinubu’s second-term bid.
The clarification comes amid public questions over why APGA did not submit a presidential candidate to INEC despite completing nominations for other elective offices. The party insists the omission was a deliberate political choice rather than an administrative lapse.
