The APC national convention is shaping up as a major political moment, as the ruling party fine-tunes plans for a gathering expected to reset its internal structure ahead of the 2027 elections.
Scheduled for late March in Abuja, the convention will bring together party leaders, governors, lawmakers and delegates from across the country, with a strong focus on unity, consolidation and power balancing within the party.
Preparations intensified over the weekend after the APC unveiled a central coordination team to oversee arrangements for the convention. The body is chaired by Imo State Governor and Progressive Governors’ Forum chairman, Hope Uzodimma, with other senior figures drawn from the National Assembly, past party leadership and the governors’ forum.
Beyond the logistics, however, political attention has shifted to who made the list — and who didn’t.
Notably, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara was named among key figures involved in the convention process, a move widely interpreted as a strong signal of his growing acceptance within the APC’s national structure.
Fubara’s inclusion comes barely months after his dramatic defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, a move that reshaped the political landscape in Rivers State and triggered intense alignments within the ruling party. Since then, the APC leadership has repeatedly affirmed him as the party’s leader in the oil-rich state, despite murmurs from rival tendencies.
Sources within the party say his appearance on the convention list is no accident.
According to insiders, the APC is keen to project stability and inclusiveness, especially as it prepares for leadership changes within the National Working Committee and strategic planning for the next electoral cycle. Bringing influential governors — including recent entrants like Fubara — into the heart of the convention process is seen as part of that calculation.
Meanwhile, the convention itself is expected to go beyond routine party formalities. Apart from electing new national officers, delegates will also review party reforms, address lingering internal disputes and send early signals on zoning and succession politics ahead of 2027.
For many observers, the real story lies in the subtle political messaging already emerging from the preparations. The prominence of governors in the planning structure underscores their dominance in party affairs, while the deliberate positioning of figures like Fubara suggests the APC is actively redrawing its internal map.
As the countdown to the convention continues, party watchers say the coming weeks may reveal even deeper realignments — with the Rivers governor’s rising profile standing out as one of the developments to watch closely.