National Assembly members from Imo State seeking automatic return tickets on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC are facing mounting uncertainty following the reported rejection of the proposal by President .
Sources familiar with the development said the president made his position clear during a meeting with the leadership of federal lawmakers in Abuja, stressing that the practice of granting automatic tickets would not be endorsed ahead of the party’s primaries.
According to insiders, Tinubu told the lawmakers that state governors retain significant influence over the emergence of candidates in their respective states, effectively leaving the fate of aspirants in the hands of state party leadership.
The stance has reportedly unsettled several incumbents from Imo, many of whom had banked on automatic tickets to secure their return to the National Assembly without facing competitive primaries.
In a subsequent engagement with governors, the president was said to have urged them to ensure that party primaries are conducted peacefully, warning against actions that could trigger internal crises or weaken the party’s electoral prospects.
In Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodimma has moved to consolidate party cohesion, placing the Charter of Equity at the centre of political calculations as the primaries approach.
At a high-level stakeholders’ meeting of the APC held at the party secretariat in Owerri, Uzodimma rallied leaders and members to close ranks, insisting that unity, discipline, and loyalty to the party remain non-negotiable.
The governor described the Charter of Equity as a binding framework designed to guarantee fairness, inclusion, and political stability through equitable power rotation among the state’s zones.
INNONEWS had exclusively reported earlier in the week that the Charter of Equity, alongside a consensus method, would form the basis for selecting candidates during the party’s primaries in the state.
“With many aspirants jostling for positions, loyalty to the party must take precedence. For every position, only one person will emerge,” Uzodimma said, warning against actions capable of undermining party unity while expressing confidence in the party’s chances in the المقبلة elections.
Also speaking, Imo APC chairman, Chief Augustine Onyedebelu, said the meeting underscored a renewed commitment to strengthening the party’s internal structure, urging members to align with the principles of equity and collective purpose as the race for tickets intensifies.
