APC sets dates for national convention, congresses

The elective national convention is scheduled to be held from Wednesday, 25 March to Saturday, 28 March 2026.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has released a comprehensive timetable for its 2025/2026 nationwide ward, local government, state and zonal congresses, setting the stage for the party’s National Convention scheduled for March 2026.

The detailed schedule, signed by the APC National Secretary, Surajudeen Basiru, underscores strict adherence to Articles 11 and 17 of the party’s constitution, which govern membership, congresses and internal democracy.

The timetable outlines a phased, bottom-up process that begins with membership registration and culminates in the election of national party officers at the convention.

The document signals the formal commencement of preparations for the convention, widely regarded as crucial to the APC’s organisational cohesion ahead of future electoral contests.

The release of the timetable followed the conclusion of the APC National Caucus meeting, held on Thursday, and the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, held on Friday.

Membership update and notice of congresses

According to the schedule, the process will begin with the commencement and completion of membership electronic registration, which will run from Monday, 1 December, to 30 January 2026. This will be followed by the issuance of formal notices of congresses to state chapters and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monday, 2 February 2026.

The party will then open the window for the purchase and submission of forms for ward and local government area (LGA) congresses from Wednesday, 4 February to Monday, 9 February 2026. On Tuesday, 10 February 2026, the APC will inaugurate ward and LGA congress and screening appeal committees to oversee the conduct of the exercises at the grassroots level.

Screening, ward and LGA congresses

The screening of aspirants for ward and LGA party positions is scheduled to take place between Wednesday, 11 February, and Friday, 13 February 2026, followed by the inauguration of the LGA/Ward Congress and Congress Appeals Committees on Saturday, 14 February.

Ward congresses will be held nationwide on Wednesday, 18 February 2026, after which appeals arising from the ward congresses will be received on Thursday, 19 February 2026.

The LGA congresses are slated for Friday, 20 February 2026. These congresses will include the election of three delegates per LGA to the National Convention, with at least one of the delegates required to be female, in line with the party’s gender inclusion provisions. Appeals arising from the LGA congresses will be heard on Saturday, 21 February 2026.

State and zonal congresses

Activities at the state level will commence with the purchase of forms for state executive committee positions from Monday, 23 February to Friday, 27 February 2026. Screening and screening appeal committees for state executive aspirants will be inaugurated on Saturday, 28 February 2026.

Screening of aspirants for state executive positions will hold from Monday, 2 March to Wednesday, 4 March 2026, while appeals arising from the screening exercise are scheduled for Thursday, 5 March and Friday, 6 March 2026.

State congresses will then take place on Saturday, 7 March 2026, followed by the consideration of appeals from the state congresses between Monday, 9 March and Wednesday, 11 March 2026.

Zonal Congresses and National Convention

For the zonal congresses and the National Convention, the APC has fixed Thursday, 12 March to Tuesday, 17 March 2026 for the purchase and submission of forms.

The inauguration of the zonal congress and National Convention screening and appeals committees will take place on Wednesday, 18 March 2026.

Screening of aspirants for zonal and national positions will be conducted on Thursday, 19 March 2026, and continue through Friday, 20 March 2026.

Zonal congresses are scheduled for Thursday, 19 March and Saturday, 21 March 2026, across the six geopolitical zones, with designated zonal offices in Ibadan for the South West; Enugu for the South East; Rivers and Cross River states for the South South; Kaduna for the North West; Gombe and Bauchi for the North East; and Nasarawa for the North Central.

Appeals arising from the zonal congresses will be considered on Monday, 23 March 2026, ahead of the APC National Convention, which is scheduled to hold from Wednesday, 25 March to Saturday, 28 March 2026.

The release of the schedule effectively kickstarts the APC’s march towards its 2026 National Convention, a pivotal event expected to shape the party’s leadership structure and strategic direction in the years ahead.