President Bola Tinubu has secured an overwhelming victory over his sole challenger, Stanley Osifo, in the All Progressives Congress presidential primary, as party structures across the country delivered endorsements for his second-term bid.
The President, who is expected to fly the APC flag in the 2027 general elections, swept across wards and states in a process dominated by endorsements from party organs, governors, and grassroots delegates.
Sunday PUNCH observed that the exercise, conducted across 8,809 wards nationwide, effectively turned into an affirmation of Tinubu’s candidacy, with Osifo recording negligible support.
Although APC organs, including the National Executive Committee, the National Working Committee, the Progressive Governors Forum, and state structures had earlier endorsed Tinubu, the party proceeded with a direct primary to formally ratify its candidate.
As the ruling party consolidated around Tinubu, the opposition African Democratic Congress is still battling internal divisions over its presidential ticket.
The ADC had initially pushed for a consensus arrangement, but disagreements among key aspirants—former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Rivers State governor Rotimi Amaechi, and businessman Mohammed Hayatu-Deen—have complicated efforts to present a united front.
The party is expected to hold its presidential primary on Monday (tomorrow).
Tinubu lauds party primary
After casting his vote at his polling unit in Ward L2, Ikoyi, Lagos, on Saturday, President Tinubu described the primary as a demonstration of internal democracy.
He expressed satisfaction with the conduct of party members who organised parallel ward-level voting across the country.
The President, accompanied by First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, said, “This is a demonstration of internal democracy. This is politics; grassroots politics, where every member of the party has a right to participate and be involved. It’s to ensure that we have internal democracy, and it’s peaceful and well-organised.”
Also speaking on the exercise, the National Secretary of the party, Ajibola Basiru, described the primary as peaceful.
He said, “Party members were happy to go out and vote for the aspirant of their choice. Results have been collated in all the 774 wards and also across the 36 states and the FCT. Some are still doing their state collation now, as we speak. And tomorrow (today) at the ICC, the state coordinator and collation officers will present the results before the presidential primary election committee. I know that from what I have seen so far in terms of images, it’s going to be a landslide victory for President Bola Tinubu. But we’ll wait till the collation is done.”
Kaduna
In Kaduna, members of the APC across the 255 political wards in the state unanimously affirmed Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate.
The exercise, which took place simultaneously across the 23 LGAs of the state, drew large crowds of party members and stakeholders who turned out to endorse the President for a second term.
Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission monitored the exercise alongside designated party officials to ensure compliance with laid-down electoral procedures.
The Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, who monitored the process in parts of the state, commended party members for what he described as a peaceful, orderly, and transparent exercise.
Kebbi
The President secured 5,652 votes in Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris’s Nassarawa II Ward, Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area.
The result was announced after collation by the Chairman of the APC in the state, Alhaji Abubakar Kana-Zuru, who said Tinubu recorded a landslide victory in the governor’s ward.
Kana-Zuru commended voters in the area for their orderly conduct and commitment throughout the exercise.
Bayelsa
In Bayelsa, Tinubu polled a total of 277,192 votes across the state, while Osifo secured just five votes.
Announcing the result after collation from all local government areas, the State Collation and Returning Officer, Governor Douye Diri, said the exercise was peaceful and conducted across all wards with full participation from party members.
Tinubu secured 39,454 votes in Brass, 45,949 in Ekeremor, 22,593 in Kolokuma/Opokuma, 32,487 in Nembe, 24,896 in Ogbia, 46,283 in Sagbama, 74,136 in Southern Ijaw, and 30,834 in Yenagoa, where Osifo recorded five votes.
Declaring the outcome, Diri said, “I hereby certify that the results announced represent the true, correct, and accurate collation of votes from all local government areas in Bayelsa State. The process was conducted peacefully and in accordance with party guidelines.”
Abia
In Abia State, Tinubu also recorded massive support across wards as party members participated in the APC presidential primary.
At Igbere Ward A in Bende Local Government Area, former Abia State governor and senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, led over 4,000 registered APC members to participate in the exercise in support of the President.
Speaking with journalists after the exercise, Kalu described the turnout as evidence of Tinubu’s acceptance among party members.
At Bende, the hometown of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, over 13,000 party faithful reportedly lined up for Tinubu under the direct primary system, while his rival, Osifo Stanley, scored no votes.
Plateau
In Plateau State, thousands of party members across the state queued to endorse the President as the party’s sole candidate.
At the Federal Government College, Jos, the venue for the Jos North LGA collation, APC members formed long queues from early morning, brandishing their voting slips, while similar scenes were reported in the Central and Southern zones.
The Chairman of Jos North LGA, J.K. Chris, said the turnout reflected a unified resolve to support the President.
Oyo
In Oyo, the presidential primary witnessed a massive turnout of registered members across the 351 wards in the 33 local government areas of the state, without violence, intimidation, or harassment.
The state coordinator and returning officer for the 2026 APC presidential primaries, Teslim Folarin, commended party members for participating in the exercise.
Also speaking after casting his vote at Ward 3 in Ibadan North LGA, the party governorship candidate in the state, Sharafadeen Alli, described the exercise as peaceful, transparent, and credible.
Edo
Meanwhile, Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, who served as returning officer for the presidential primary election in the state, said President Tinubu secured 131,096 votes, while his challenger, Osifo, polled one vote.
The collation officers from the 18 LGAs of Edo State presented the results at the APC Secretariat in Ikpoba Hill, GRA.
Osun
President Tinubu polled 100,880 votes across the 332 wards in Osun State, while Osifo recorded zero votes.
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, who served as the state collation officer, declared the exercise peaceful while announcing the result in Osogbo.
Rivers
In Rivers, the President was declared winner of the primary election after polling all valid votes cast in the exercise.
The state Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, said Tinubu secured a total of 280,082 votes, while the second contestant, Osifo, scored zero votes.
He said the exercise was peaceful and transparent across the 23 LGAs of the state.
Fubara said he painstakingly verified the figures before certifying the outcome of the election.
Gombe
In Gombe, Tinubu secured 450,517 votes, defeating Osifo, who polled zero votes.
Governor Muhammadu Yahaya described the outcome as a clear indication of the state’s unwavering support for Tinubu and the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The governor, who served as the APC presidential primary collation officer and Tinubu’s coordinator for Gombe State, announced the results after collating votes from the 11 LGAs of the state.
ADC will opt for direct primary if consensus fails — Oyegun
The Chairman of the 50-member ADC Policy and Manifesto Committee, John Oyegun, expressed a preference for a consensus arrangement to produce the party’s presidential candidate.
He, however, warned that the party would proceed with direct primaries if aspirants failed to reach an agreement.
Oyegun, a former National Chairman of the APC, stated this in an interview with Sunday PUNCH amid growing contestation within the opposition party ahead of the presidential race.
“Consensus will save us valuable time. This would have been better for all of us, but if the aspirants fail to agree, we will follow what the law says. The law says where there is no agreement on consensus, we must conduct a direct primary. If that is what we have to do, we will do it,” he said.
Amaechi, who has repeatedly insisted he will not step down for any aspirant, had earlier declared in Kano that he was fully prepared for the contest.
He stated, “I am not stepping down for anyone. Let the people decide who they want to lead.”
While Hayatu-Deen has adopted a less confrontational tone, he has also rejected calls to withdraw from the race.
The businessman, however, pledged to support whoever emerges through what he described as a credible and transparent process.
Also speaking on the unfolding contest, a chieftain of the party, Dele Momodu, said the personalities involved and the huge financial commitments already made by the aspirants made a consensus difficult.
The media entrepreneur, however, maintained that a competitive contest was not necessarily harmful to the party, provided the process remained credible and democratic.
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH, another chieftain of the ADC, Timothy Osadolor, urged Atiku to pursue negotiations that could lead to a consensus arrangement.
“No one is in doubt as to the capacity and competence of the Wazirin Adamawa in every party primary he has been engaged in,” Osadolor said.
“However, times have changed significantly, and perceptions have too. He will be making a mistake in thinking that Rotimi Amaechi can be wished away or run over in today’s politics or within the ADC.
“With all due respect to the very successful businessman, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, I think he will serve Nigeria more in the management of the country’s economy and drawing up policies in that regard. Atiku should consult, lobby, and work towards a consensus, either for himself or Amaechi,” he added.
Osadolor argued further that a full-scale primary contest might not serve the ADC’s broader political interests, especially given ongoing realignments within the opposition space and the influence of other key political actors, including Obi.
