Tinubu Sweeps APC Presidential Primary Across All 36 States

LAGOS / ABUJA — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has swept the All Progressives Congress presidential direct primary election across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The nationwide exercise, conducted simultaneously across the party’s 8,809 wards on Saturday, May 23, produced a landslide victory for the incumbent president.

Tinubu contested against Stanley Osifo, a businessman from Edo State, who reportedly purchased the N100 million presidential nomination form and emerged as the only challenger. Results emerging from across the country showed Tinubu winning by massive margins in every state. In Ogun State alone, he polled 322,485 votes while Osifo received zero.

In Tinubu’s own ward in Ikoyi, Lagos, he secured 4,996 votes against his challenger’s zero. Similar results were recorded across northern and southern states. The APC adopted the direct primary system for the presidential exercise, allowing all registered party members to vote at their ward polling centres.

Tinubu voted at Ward E, Ireti Primary School on Mekuwen Road, Ikoyi, alongside First Lady Oluremi Tinubu. He was received by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other APC leaders. After casting his vote, the president described the exercise as a demonstration of the party’s internal democracy.

Certificate of Return to Be Issued Sunday

The APC fixed Sunday, May 24, for the official collation and declaration of results from the presidential primary. The ceremony will take place at the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja from 10 a.m. The party’s Presidential Primary Election Committee will present the certificate of return at the event.

APC governors, members of the National Executive Committee, National Working Committee, National Assembly members, and other key party stakeholders are expected to attend. The event is by invitation only, with attendance strictly limited to designated guests.

The APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda voted at his ward in Plateau State and said the exercise proves that the APC is a party of the people. He said the massive turnout across wards reflects genuine grassroots support for Tinubu’s second-term ambition.

Opposition Reaction

Opposition figures were quick to respond. Peter Obi described the APC primary as a performance rather than a genuine democratic exercise. He said running a primary where one candidate gets millions of votes and another gets zero in the same ward does not reflect democracy.

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, while an APC supporter, used the occasion to warn that Nigerian democracy needs a strong opposition to be healthy. He said a one-sided political landscape ultimately weakens governance and accountability.

The formal declaration of Tinubu as the APC’s 2027 presidential candidate on Sunday will set the stage for what is expected to be Nigeria’s most contested election since the return to democracy in 1999. Opposition parties have until May 30 to complete their own primary processes.