The Action Peoples Party (APP) has officially released a comprehensive primary election timetable ahead of the 2027 General Elections, signaling the party’s determination to enter the electoral cycle well-prepared and ahead of schedule.
The timetable, approved by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), was made public on Friday through a statement signed by the Imo State Publicity Secretary, Steve Nnadi, and distributed to journalists in Owerri.
It serves as both a formal notice to aspirants and a rallying call to stakeholders within the party structure to begin mobilizing without delay.
With the 2027 general elections still more than a year away, the party’s decision to commence pre-primary activities as early as May 6, 2026, with the official publication of the notice of primary elections at all levels, suggests a deliberate strategy to outpace rivals in terms of internal organization and candidate emergence.
“This is a party that wants to be taken seriously,” one political analyst familiar with party dynamics in Imo State remarked. “Releasing a timetable this detailed, this early, sends a message to both members and the electorate.”
According to the timetable issued by the National Office, the sale and submission of completed nomination and expression of interest forms opened on May 6 and will run until May 25, 2026. Cleared aspirants are expected to be published on May 27, 2026, giving prospective candidates a narrow but defined window in which to put their affairs in order.
The party has assigned specific dates and designated venues for each level of elective office:
The “Presidential Primary,” the most high-stakes of all the party’s internal contests, is scheduled for May 27, 2026, and will be conducted at the party’s National Headquarters, coinciding with the publication date of cleared aspirants, a scheduling detail that underscores the tight and ambitious nature of the calendar.
The “Governorship Primary” follows on May 30, 2026, and will be held at state secretariats across the country, while the House of Assembly Primary is similarly fixed for May 30 at local government area headquarters, reflecting the party’s intent to consolidate state-level exercises on the same day.
At the federal legislative level, both the “Senate Primary” and the “House of Representatives Primary” are slated for May 29, 2026, holding at Senatorial District Headquarters and Federal Constituency Headquarters respectively.
No primary timetable announcement generates more scrutiny than the fee schedule, and APP’s figures are unlikely to escape public debate.
Presidential aspirants will be required to pay a total of ₦80 million to contest, comprising a ₦77 million nomination form fee and a ₦3 million expression of interest fee.
The figures place the APP within the same financial stratosphere as Nigeria’s major parties, raising familiar questions about accessibility and the monetisation of political participation.
For those eyeing governorship seats, the combined cost stands at ₦10 million: ₦7 million for the nomination form and ₦3 million for the expression of interest.
At the federal legislative level, senatorial aspirants will pay a total of ₦5 million (₦3 million nomination, ₦2 million expression of interest), while House of Representatives hopefuls face a combined fee of ₦4 million (₦3 million nomination, ₦1 million expression of interest).
The most affordable entry point remains the State House of Assembly, where aspirants will pay ₦1.5 million in total: ₦1 million for the nomination form and ₦500,000 for the expression of interest.
In what is likely to be one of the more warmly received provisions of the announcement, the APP declared that women and persons living with disabilities (PWDs) will receive their nomination forms free of charge.
The gesture, described by the party as part of its commitment to inclusiveness and equal democratic participation, is consistent with a growing, if still insufficiently implemented, national conversation around removing financial barriers for historically underrepresented groups in Nigerian politics.
While critics may argue that waiving the nomination form fee alone does not fully address systemic barriers to political participation, the policy nonetheless represents a tangible, structural concession by the party’s leadership.
The APP’s leadership, through the Imo State chapter, was emphatic in its messaging around the integrity of the upcoming primaries.
The party reiterated its commitment to conducting what it described as transparent, credible, and fair primaries across all levels, language that, in Nigeria’s complex political environment, carries both aspiration and expectation.
Whether APP can translate its well-structured timetable into a well-executed primary process will be the true test of the party’s institutional strength.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
The Action Peoples Party (APP) has launched its 2027 election preparations earlier than most, releasing a detailed primary timetable that runs from May 6 through May 30, 2026.
With clearly defined dates, designated venues, and fees ranging from ₦1.5 million for state assembly seats to ₦80 million for the presidency, APP is signaling both organizational seriousness and the high financial cost of political ambition in Nigeria.
Most notably, the party’s decision to offer free nomination forms to women and persons with disabilities sets it apart and deserves recognition as a meaningful step toward more inclusive democratic participation.
