APC Crisis: Lawmaker Says Tinubu Personally Backed Return Tickets for Incumbent Legislators

By Emeka Henry Obi

October 3, 2026

Fresh details have emerged over the controversy surrounding the return tickets given to some serving lawmakers of the All Progressives Congress (APC), with an Ondo State lawmaker claiming that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally promised the legislators automatic tickets for another term.

The lawmaker, who reportedly benefited from the arrangement, told Starnews Nigeria that the decision was not the result of an alleged “Abuja cabal,” as widely speculated, but rather the implementation of a commitment attributed directly to President Tinubu.

According to the lawmaker, the President's alleged commitment was implemented through Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele and the APC National Working Committee (NWC).

“President Bola Tinubu is a man of his word. Whenever he makes a promise, you can be confident that he will keep it,” the lawmaker said.

Lawmaker Rejects ‘Abuja Cabal’ Narrative

The development comes amid a growing internal crisis within the APC over the substitution of some primary election winners with incumbent legislators on candidate lists submitted to electoral authorities.

For months, political observers and affected aspirants have alleged that powerful figures within the party's national structure influenced the process.

However, the Ondo lawmaker rejected the allegation that a shadowy “Abuja cabal” was responsible.

He instead described Tinubu as a politician who keeps his commitments and argued that the President deliberately sought to protect lawmakers who had supported his political agenda.

The controversy over the return tickets has become a major source of tension within the ruling party, particularly between incumbent lawmakers and aspirants who participated in primary elections and claimed victory.

Ondo Becomes Major Flashpoint

Ondo State has emerged as one of the states at the centre of the controversy, with several serving lawmakers reportedly retaining their positions on official candidate lists despite opposition from rival aspirants.

The development has generated accusations of political imposition and interference in the internal affairs of the party.

Similar disputes have reportedly emerged in other APC-controlled states, with some aspirants claiming that the tickets they expected to secure after investing resources and mobilising delegates were subsequently allocated to serving lawmakers.

Bamidele’s Alleged Role

The lawmaker identified Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele as a key figure in the implementation of the arrangement.

According to him, Bamidele served as an intermediary between the presidency and the APC National Working Committee to ensure that the alleged presidential commitment to incumbent lawmakers was implemented through the party's structures.

The lawmaker further claimed that the presidency adopted a cautious political strategy because of the influence of state governors over party structures and grassroots mobilisation.

He alleged that while President Tinubu publicly encouraged lawmakers seeking return tickets to engage with their respective governors, efforts were simultaneously made through party channels to secure the candidacies of some incumbents.

Legal Battle Looms

The controversy has already triggered legal challenges in some states, with aggrieved aspirants reportedly approaching the courts over the substitution of their names and the recognition of incumbent candidates.

The affected aspirants argue that the process undermines internal party democracy and violates the principles governing political party primaries.

Some have asked the courts to invalidate the substituted candidate lists and recognise the outcomes of the primary elections in which they claim to have emerged victorious.

The growing disputes could further deepen tensions within the APC as the party prepares for the next electoral cycle.

The claims made by the Ondo lawmaker could not, however, independently establish that President Tinubu personally directed every disputed substitution, and the affected party officials and other stakeholders may provide further clarification on the process.