The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has waived screening requirements for President Bola Tinubu ahead of its presidential primaries, saying his participation would be “redundant and unnecessary.”
According to a statement by its spokesperson, Felix Morka, the decision followed the president’s initial screening ahead of the 2023 general election.
“As the incumbent president and leader of our great party, having been duly screened and cleared ahead of the 2022 presidential primaries, requiring his physical appearance before a screening committee, at this time, would be redundant and unnecessary,” Mr Morka said.
Screening of aspirants is scheduled for May 8 to 12, 2026, with the presidential primary on May 23.
Mr Morka said the National Working Committee (NWC), after its 188th meeting on Wednesday, “resolved to waive, and has waived, screening requirements” for Mr Tinubu and declared him “duly screened” in accordance with its constitution.
“This decision was made pursuant to the powers conferred on the NWC under Article 13.4 (xiii) and (xiv) of the constitution of APC to organise and supervise the party’s primaries and, in special circumstances, grant waivers in the best interest of the party,” he said.
Mr Morka also stated that, at the APC National Summit held on May 22, 2025, party stakeholders, including governors, lawmakers, and other party organs, endorsed and passed a vote of confidence in Mr Tinubu.
Mr Tinubu emerged as the winner of the 2023 presidential poll, defeating Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The keenly contested election saw Mr Tinubu, the APC candidate, garnering 8,794,726 votes across 12 states; Mr Abubakar, 6,984,520 votes across 12 states; and Mr Obi, 6,101,533 votes from 11 states and the FCT, placing third.
Meanwhile, certificate forgery rocked Mr Tinubu’s presidential ambitions, with Mr Abubakar seeking court approval to subpoena his academic records from Chicago State University.
Mr Abubakar believed the documents would clarify glaring inconsistencies in the president’s background, including documents suggesting that the CSU in the 1970s admitted a female student named Bola Tinubu, who was born on March 29, 1954.
However, the Nigerian Supreme Court dismissed evidence in the certificate forgery scandal, reaffirming Mr Tinubu’s electoral victory.
