What was meant to reinforce President Bola Tinubu’s hold on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections has instead exposed deep cracks within the party, as its week-long primary elections were marred by allegations of manipulation, violence, phantom voting and conflicting results.
While some aspirants emerged victorious and praised the process, many others described the exercise as deeply flawed, accusing party officials of imposing candidates and undermining internal democracy.
One of the most controversial incidents occurred in Balanga and Billiri federal constituency of Gombe State on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Party members reportedly gathered across wards expecting accreditation and voting to begin, but no electoral officials or voting materials arrived. Yet, hours later, results were announced by a returning officer, prompting outrage from aspirants and supporters.
Aggrieved aspirant Alfred John Attajiri described the exercise as an “invisible election,” insisting no legitimate primary was conducted in Balanga and Billiri before results were declared.
“It is deeply disturbing that results were announced for a process that never held across our constituency,” Attajiri said, citing videos, photographs and eyewitness accounts as evidence.
The controversy in Gombe mirrored developments across several states, turning what the APC had billed as a historic democratic exercise into what critics called a festival of irregularities.
In parts of Edo and Kogi states, party members alleged that vote figures were inflated openly during collation, with counting allegedly jumping from single digits to hundreds within moments.
President Tinubu had, ahead of the primaries, urged party members to avoid infighting and “do-or-die” politics, calling for fairness, sportsmanship and respect for internal democracy. However, the appeals appeared to have little effect as tensions escalated across the country.
Violence, Disruptions and Parallel Results
In Lagos State, the APC House of Representatives primaries held across 245 wards were disrupted by allegations of voter intimidation, exclusion of delegates and disorder in several areas, including Apapa Road, Makoko, Iwaya and Adekunle.
In Adamawa State, APC stalwart and aspirant Ahmadu Hamman Nasara condemned the process in Yola North, Yola South and Girei Federal Constituency, describing it as “the end of democracy in Nigeria.”
According to Nasara, the primary results reflected a predetermined script rather than the will of party members.
Some contests also produced astonishing vote margins that raised questions about the credibility of the direct primary system.
In Delta Central, Senator Ede Dafinone reportedly defeated former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege with 116,252 votes to 3,643.
In Delta North, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa polled 113,309 votes to defeat incumbent Senator Ned Nwoko, who secured 2,612 votes.
Meanwhile, in Kogi Central, former Governor Yahaya Bello — despite reports that he was not screened for the contest — was declared winner with 72,399 votes across the district.
The APC’s direct primary model relies on participation by registered ward members, making such huge figures difficult to verify without publicly available voter registers, which the party has yet to release.
Several defeated aspirants have rejected the outcomes.
Omo-Agege insisted he won the Delta Central contest, citing an alternative set of results, while Edo South witnessed one of the most dramatic disputes of the exercise.
Two APC aspirants — Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama — were separately declared winners by different party officials.
One returning officer announced Ogbeide-Ihama as winner with 27,154 votes, while another declared Ize-Iyamu victorious with 33,399 votes, throwing the process into confusion.
APC Faces Internal Rebellion
By Thursday, May 21, when governorship primaries commenced in several states, the cumulative controversies had already cast serious doubt on the credibility of the exercise.
Many lawmakers and aspirants who lost have since accused party leaders of manipulation and exclusion, arguing that the process was designed to favour preferred candidates.
Their frustration has been compounded by provisions of the Electoral Act 2026, which bars aspirants from defecting to another party after participating in primaries.
Ironically, several of the politicians now protesting the APC primaries were among those who supported the law, leaving many trapped in a process they now claim was rigged against them.
Credit: Vanguard and Additional reports
