APC Presidential Primary: Tinubu Polls 10,999,967 Votes, Floors Osifo Nationwide

ABUJA – President Bola Tinubu has emerged as the winner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary election with 10,999,967 votes across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), beating his only challenger, Stanley Osifo, in a landslide victory that positions him as the ruling party’s flagbearer for the 2027 general elections. Online reports on Sunday revealed that Osifo secured 16,504 votes after the collation, which took place at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja. The results were drawn from direct primary elections conducted simultaneously across all 8,809 wards in the country on Saturday, May 23, 2026.

The All Progressives Congress adopted the direct primary system for its 2026 presidential primary election, paving the way for all registered party members nationwide to participate in selecting the party’s flagbearer for the January 2027 general elections. The exercise was held in each of the 8,809 wards across the country, with results collated at local government levels before transmission to state coordinators and ultimately to the national collation centre in Abuja. President Tinubu and his wife, Oluremi Tinubu, cast their votes at his ward in Ikoyi, Lagos State, joining millions of party members to exercise their franchise. After voting, the President stated: “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.”

Per the figures, Tinubu’s strongest showing came from strategic states across the federation. Lagos State, the commercial capital and the President’s political base, delivered his highest single-state tally with 814,988 votes. This represents a massive endorsement from his home state, where Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu also participated in the primary exercise, describing the President as a leader who “has continued to demonstrate bold leadership through necessary reforms aimed at strengthening our electoral system, stabilising the polity and ultimately strengthening the economy.” Adamawa State recorded the President’s second-highest tally, where he secured 644,149 votes. Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who served as the state collation officer for the exercise, declared President Tinubu the winner, noting that the exercise was conducted peacefully across all 21 local government areas of the state. The President’s opponent, Osifo Stanley, polled 195,049 votes in Adamawa. Kaduna State followed closely with 618,914 votes, where APC members unanimously endorsed Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate for the 2027 elections across all 255 political wards in the 23 local government areas of the state. Imo State delivered 582,960 votes for the President, while Kano State, Nigeria’s most populous northern state, gave him 500,852 votes.

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In Gombe State, Governor Inuwa Yahaya, who served as the APC Presidential Primary Collation Officer for the state, announced that out of 550,516 registered APC members in the state, President Tinubu secured an overwhelming 450,516 votes, while Mr Stanley Osifo recorded zero votes. Governor Yahaya described the election as “peaceful, transparent, and a clear demonstration of the people’s confidence in the APC administration.” In Rivers State, the President scored 280,468 votes, while his opponent recorded zero votes in all councils announced. Obio/Akpor Local Government Area recorded the highest number of votes for Tinubu with 28,680 votes, followed by Port Harcourt City with 17,522 votes and Khana with 17,085 votes. In the Federal Capital Territory, results from the 12 wards of the Abuja Municipal Area Council showed Tinubu securing substantial votes. A breakdown from AMAC Zone B, comprising Kabusa, Wuse, Garki and the City Centre, showed 5,717 APC members voting for Tinubu, while Osifo Stanley received not a single vote across all 12 wards of AMAC. In Edo State, Osifo’s home state, the President performed strongly, further underscoring the overwhelming nature of his victory.

Stanley Osifo, a businessman and trader from Edo State, purchased the party’s N100 million presidential nomination forms to challenge the incumbent president. Despite his efforts, the nationwide primary results showed that the challenger failed to gain significant traction in any state, securing a total of 16,504 votes nationwide. His best performance came in Adamawa State, where he polled 195,049 votes — though this figure from some sources exceeds his official national tally, suggesting possible discrepancies in initial state-level reporting versus final collated figures. In contrast, Osifo recorded zero votes in multiple states, including Gombe, Rivers, and the FCT’s AMAC area, as well as in the President’s home ward in Ikoyi, Lagos.

The APC National Secretariat had earlier fixed Sunday, May 24, 2026, for the collation and official declaration of results from the presidential primary election. According to an invitation issued by the party’s National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, the exercise took place at the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, Abuja, with attendance limited to key stakeholders including members of the National Working Committee (NWC), National Caucus, National Executive Committee (NEC), serving APC lawmakers, members of the Federal Executive Council, diplomatic representatives, election observers, and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). President Tinubu himself commended the process, stating: “The APC remains focused, organised and deeply grounded across Nigeria. Others may gather around the grievance. We gather around structure, service, and the work of nation-building. Together, we will continue to renew hope, strengthen our democracy, and build a stronger Nigeria for all.”

President Tinubu’s landslide victory in the APC presidential primary effectively clears the path for his re-election bid in the January 2027 general elections. With the ruling party presenting a united front behind the President, the opposition will now have to coalesce around a single candidate to mount a credible challenge. The President will now face off against candidates from opposition parties, including the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) , Labour Party , and other opposition platforms, in what is expected to be a fiercely contested election. Security analysts note that the APC’s decision to conduct a direct primary involving millions of party members nationwide has reinforced the party’s claim to democratic legitimacy ahead of the general election. President Tinubu is expected to kick off his re-election campaign in the coming weeks, focusing on his administration’s achievements in infrastructure development, security sector reforms, economic transformation, and social investment programmes. The President will now proceed as the APC’s flag bearer for the January 16, 2027, presidential election, seeking a second and final term in office.

APC Presidential Primary: Tinubu Polls 10,999,967 Votes, Floors Osifo Nationwide