Tinubu Wins APC Presidential Primary

President Bola Tinubu has won the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress, moving a step closer to securing the party’s ticket for the 2027 general elections.

The ruling party held its presidential direct primary election on Saturday across the country, with voting conducted simultaneously in 8,809 wards nationwide.

Tinubu contested the exercise alongside Stanley Osifo, but results announced from several states showed the President recording landslide victories, with Osifo failing to secure votes in many of the states declared.

Tinubu and his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, cast their votes at his ward in Ikoyi, Lagos State, where they joined other party members in the nationwide exercise.

Shortly after casting his vote, Tinubu said democracy could only be sustained by the active participation of citizens and party members, not by speculation or political noise.

In a post on his X handle, the President said, “Today, I participated in the APC Presidential Direct Primary at my ward in Ikoyi, Lagos, alongside my dear wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON.”

He added, “Democracy is not sustained by noise, speculation, or borrowed platforms. It is sustained by citizens who show up, party members who believe, institutions that endure, the grassroots, and a political family rooted in the people.”

The APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, also participated in the primary election in his hometown of Dungung, Kanke Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Governors, members of the National Assembly, ministers, government officials and other leaders of the party also took part in the exercise across the federation.

In Rivers State, Tinubu polled 280,468 votes, while Osifo recorded zero votes in the local government areas announced.

The results showed that Obio/Akpor Local Government Area delivered the highest number of votes for the President with 28,680 votes.

Port Harcourt City followed with 17,522 votes, while Khana recorded 17,085 votes for Tinubu.

A similar outcome was recorded in Kaduna State, where APC members unanimously endorsed Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.

The affirmation exercise was conducted across the 255 political wards in the 23 local government areas of the state, with party members and stakeholders turning out in support of the President’s re-election bid.

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and designated party officials monitored the exercise in the state to ensure compliance with electoral guidelines.

In Akwa Ibom State, Tinubu secured 389,197 votes in the exercise conducted across the 329 wards of the state.

His opponent, Osifo, recorded zero votes.

The result was announced by the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, who served as the State Collation Officer for the presidential primary election.

Speaking with journalists after the exercise, Eno commended APC members for what he described as the peaceful and orderly conduct of the primary across the state.

He said the turnout by party faithful showed continued support for the President and confidence in the APC in Akwa Ibom State.

In Kogi State, Tinubu polled 197,370 votes to defeat Osifo, who also scored zero votes.

Announcing the result at the party secretariat in Lokoja, the Kogi State Governor and State Collation Officer, Ahmed Ododo, said 197,370 party members were accredited for the exercise.

Ododo said the same number of votes were cast during the primary.

In Ogun State, Tinubu was also declared winner after polling 322,485 votes.

The result was announced by Governor Dapo Abiodun, who also served as the chairman of the election committee in the state.

According to Abiodun, Osifo recorded zero votes in the election, which was held across 236 wards in the 20 local government areas of the state.

Tinubu also recorded more than 277,000 votes in Bayelsa State.

In Kebbi State, APC members also turned out in large numbers for the presidential direct primary.

Governor Nasir Idris participated in the exercise at his Nassarawa II polling unit alongside the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu.

The governor joined the queue with other party members and was counted through a voice vote.

At the end of the exercise, Idris’ polling unit recorded 5,652 votes in favour of Tinubu.

At Nassarawa Polling Unit II in the state capital, Tinubu secured 2,825 votes.

Party leaders said the turnout reflected the strength of the APC structure in the state and the level of mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodimma urged opposition political parties to “work hard” and emulate what he described as the APC’s grassroots mobilisation strategy.

Uzodimma spoke after participating in the presidential primary at his Omuma ward in Oru East Local Government Area of the state.

The governor said Tinubu had performed well enough to deserve a second term in office, adding that the APC’s electronic membership registration and validation process had strengthened grassroots participation.

He said, “Well, it is no longer a democracy if there is no opposition. I also encourage opposition parties to work hard and do what the ruling party has done. And when, by the grace of God, it becomes their turn, they will elect their own president.”

Uzodimma described the turnout of party members as proof that Nigerians remained committed to democratic governance.

According to him, more than 35,000 party members were registered in a single ward in Oru East, a development he linked to the growing acceptance of the APC and the leadership of Tinubu.

He said, “If you look at what is happening at the grassroots and how the grassroots has been stimulated, starting from the membership registration, which was done electronically, to the validation of members, you can see 35,000 human beings in just one ward in Oru East Local Government Area.

“It means that if only our party members vote for President Bola Tinubu, he has already won the election.”

Meanwhile, Tinubu is expected to receive the APC Certificate of Return and the party’s flag on Sunday as its presidential candidate for the 2027 elections.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the certificate and flag would be presented by the APC Presidential Primary Elections Committee.

According to the statement, the presentation will take place at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja after the collation of results from the primary election.

The statement read in part, “APC governors, members of the National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee, and the National Assembly, along with party stalwarts, will attend the event.”

The presidential primary came days after the APC conducted primaries to choose its candidates for governorship, National Assembly and state houses of assembly elections.

The APC first came to power in 2015 after defeating the Peoples Democratic Party, becoming the first opposition party to unseat a ruling party since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.

However, opposition parties have continued to accuse the ruling party of mismanaging the country since taking over power, an allegation the APC has repeatedly dismissed.