By Ndudirim Sylvia Iloka
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was on May 6, 2026, approved a waiver exempting Bola Ahmed Tinubu from the party’s screening process ahead of its upcoming presidential primaries.
The decision was reached at the NWC’s 188th meeting held on Wednesday in Abuja. Party officials said the move effectively deems the president as “duly screened” in line with the APC constitution, clearing him to participate in the primaries without undergoing fresh vetting.
According to the committee, the waiver is backed by provisions in the party’s constitution that empower it to organize and supervise primaries and, in exceptional cases, grant exemptions considered to be in the party’s best interest.
The NWC pointed to what it described as broad-based support for Tinubu within party ranks. This includes endorsements from the Progressive Governors Forum, members of the National Assembly, and other party stakeholders, notably expressed during the APC National Summit held in May 2025.
Officials also argued that requiring the incumbent president to appear before a screening panel again would be unnecessary, noting that he had already undergone and passed the process prior to the party’s 2022 presidential primaries.
