APC Holds Presidential Primary Across 8,809 Wards as Tinubu Seeks Re-election Ticket

The ruling All Progressives Congress is holding its presidential primary across all 8,809 wards in Nigeria today, May 23, in what marks the first time the party is using a direct primary system at this scale for selecting its presidential flagbearer.

President Bola Tinubu faces just one challenger – Stanley Osifo, a trader from Edo State – in a race that was supposed to feature consensus but ended up going to a full vote after the party failed to reach an agreement among stakeholders.

The APC has fixed Sunday, May 24, for the collation and official declaration of results at the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja. The invitation, signed by National Secretary Ajibola Basiru, limits attendance to key stakeholders including members of the National Working Committee, National Caucus, National Executive Committee, serving APC lawmakers, Federal Executive Council members, diplomatic representatives, and INEC officials.

The shift to direct primaries came after weeks of internal wrangling. The party had initially explored a consensus arrangement, but with multiple aspirants refusing to step aside, the NWC led by Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda opted for a ward-by-ward vote that requires all registered party members nationwide to participate.

This presidential primary follows the House of Representatives primaries that kicked off on May 15 across the same 8,809 wards, which produced a mix of incumbent victories and shock defeats in several states. The governorship primaries are scheduled for May 25 in most states, though some have been postponed due to violence and disqualification controversies.

The outcome today is widely expected to favour Tinubu, who controls the party machinery and enjoys the backing of most governors and national assembly members. Osifo’s candidacy has been framed as a symbolic challenge rather than a serious threat.

What happens after the vote count matters more than the result itself. The APC needs to project unity heading into 2027, but the primary process has already exposed fractures that opposition parties are eager to exploit.

Sources: premiumtimesng.com, vanguardngr.com, dailytrust.com