Edo APC Chieftain Blessing Agbomhere Drops ₦100m to Challenge Tinubu; Rebellion in the Ranks as South-South Leader Picks Presidential Form to Stop ‘Automatic Ticket’

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has been jolted by an internal “power play” as a prominent chieftain from Edo State, Blessing Agbomhere, formally entered the 2027 presidential race. In a bold move that directly challenges the “automatic ticket” narrative, Agbomhere picked up the ₦100 million nomination forms at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja today tuesday, April 28, 2026.

The development occurred just hours after the Lagos State chapter of the APC made a high-profile show of purchasing the forms for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a move intended to project a unified party front. However, Agbomhere, who serves as the South-South Zonal Organizing Secretary, dismissed the idea of a “consensus” or “sole candidacy,” arguing that the APC must return to its roots as a bastion of internal democracy.

“I am not here to fight President Tinubu; I am here to fight for the soul of our party,” Agbomhere told reporters outside the party headquarters. “A ₦100 million price tag should not be a barrier to those who have a vision for a better Nigeria. We cannot have a ‘coronation’ in a democracy. If the President’s achievements are as sterling as his supporters say, then he should have no fear of a primary contest.”

The move has created a ripple effect across the “political trenches” of the South-South. In Edo State, where the APC is currently navigating its own internal leadership disputes, the news was met with mixed reactions. Supporters of the move, including factions aligned with Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, argue that a contested primary is essential to test the administration’s “scorecard” on issues like the ₦2,000/litre fuel price and the ₦159 trillion public debt.

Conversely, the pro-Tinubu camp has characterized the challenge as a “fringe movement” designed to weaken the party ahead of the 2027 general elections. “The President has just reached a 6,000MW power milestone and stabilized our reserves at $47 billion,” an NWC source remarked. “Buying a form for ₦100 million just to make a point is a costly distraction.”

As the APC prepares for its upcoming national convention, the entry of a “rebel” chieftain from a key battleground state like Edo suggests that the road to the 2027 ticket may be more turbulent than the Presidency anticipated. For now, the “script” of a smooth transition is being rewritten by an Edo chieftain who insists that “Renewed Hope” must be earned at the ballot box, not handed out in a boardroom.