APC state assembly primaries: All eyes dey on Lagos, Rivers, Kano as aspirants hustle for tickets

Di All Progressives Congress (APC), dis Wednesday, go hold dia primary elections for aspirants wey wan contest for seats into di various State House of Assembly across di kontri.

As e be say APC dey control 32 out of di 36 states for Nigeria, dis contest for state legislative seats don dey even more competitive as politicians dey hustle to put diasef into position of power.

Here na wetin dey expected to hapun for some of di key states:

Rivers State... Fubara vs Wike loyalists

Di APC state assembly primaries for River State go get interest from almost evribodi for Nigeria, sake of di public gbas-gbos betwin di current govnor of di state Siminialyi Fubara and im predecessor and current Minister of di Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

Both men bifor na political godson and godfather but dem since don quarrel sotey even President Bola Tinubu no fit settle dem.

Dis quarrel don tear di state assembly apart wit majority of di members supporting Wike while just a few dey on di side of Fubara.

Although all di state lawmakers plus di govnor later decamp from di Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join di ruling APC, tori be say oga Wike still dey run tins for di state even wen e be say e still remain for di PDP.

On Tuesday, di APC release list of more dan 60 aspirants wey no pass dia screening exercise for di state assembly aspirants, and tori be say many of di names dia na pipo wey dey loyal to Fubara.

Similar tin bin also happun for di screening exercise for di Senate and House of Representatives aspirants, wia some supposed Fubara supporters no make am, including one former deputy govnor and sitting senator, Ipalibo Banigo-Harry.

Di Rivers APC state assembly primaries na definitely one to watch.

Lagos State... Desmond Elliot in limbo

Normally, APC primaries for Lagos no dey too get plenti drama, sake of say di party hierarchy dey usually tok wetin go happun and di supporters go just fall in line.

However, dis year primaries don dey look like wetin go dey interesting, especially for di Surulere Constituency 1, wia di incumbent Desmond Elliot dey battle am wit im opponent Barakat Odunuga-Bakare.

Odunuga-Bakare, wey be former two time councillor, be like say na she be di candidate wey di APC ogas don anoint for di position, but Elliot, wey also be Nollywood star, no gree step aside as e tok say di mata go end for di ballot.

Some days ago, Ms Odunuga-Bakare tell tori pipo say all di oda aspirants for di position don gree to step down for am, na only di actor refuse, "but I wish am well for di polls and I also wish mysef well".

Any which way dis contest end, e go be big tori; if Desmond Elliot win, e go mean say e dare to stand against di big ogas and later get im way. If on di oda hand Odunuga-Bakare win, she go be di 'David' wey defeat a three-time and incumbent lawmaker.

Kano State... Abba Yusuf litmus test

Kano State na anoda interesting State for di APC State Assembly primaries, sake of di drama surrounding how di current govnor Abba Yusuf take decamp from im former party, di New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to di ruling APC.

Yusuf bin defeat di APC candidate during di 2023 govnorship election and na NNPP members bin also win majority of di State Assembly seats.

Now wey di govnor don join di APC, togeda wit many of im loyalists for di State Assembly, e go dey interesting to watch how dis new pipo go contest for tickets wit dia former opponents who bin don for di APC ova di years.

Some analysts say di sitting members wey get di support of di govnor fit get small advantage, especially sake of di directive wey President Bola Tinubu bin give say State govnors must get say for who go hold di ticket of di party ahead of di 2027 general elections.

Imo State... Uzodinma mathematics

In Imo State, di State Assembly Primaries of di APC go also dey very interesting, especially sake of di situation wey di sitting govnor Hope Uzodinma dey inside.

Oga Uzodinma don already get ticket to run for Senate in 2027, even though im second tenure as govnor go end by January of 2028, almost seven months afta di inauguration of di 11th Senate by June of 2027.

E neva clear di mathematics wey oga Uzodinma dey plan to do, but some analysts dey suggest say e fit resign, put im deputy govnor in office as acting govnor, den go to di senate to resume im new position, bicos di law no allow one pesin to be govnor and still be Senator for di same time.

But whateva be di plan of di govnor, e go need to get di members of di State Assembly for im side so dat di plan go fit succeed.

If dis primary election go like di one of di Senate and House of Reps for Imo State, den e mean say na di aspirants wey oga Uzodinma don endorse go get di ticket.