Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been declared the winner of the All Progressives Congress presidential primary election for the 2027 general election.
The results were announced on May 23, 2026, by Pius Anyim, Chairman of the APC Presidential Primary Election Committee and former Senate President/SGF. According to the committee, the exercise covered all 36 states, 774 LGAs, and 8,809 wards, making it one of the largest internal party polls in APC history.
Out of 12,643,306 registered voters on the party’s roll, 11,069,756 were accredited. Of those, 11,015,665 cast ballots — a turnout of about 99.5% of accredited voters. Tinubu polled 10,999,162 votes, or 99.85% of votes cast. His sole challenger, Stanley Osifo, received 16,503 votes.
Tinubu carried every state, including Osun, FCT, Kogi, Delta, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Kebbi, Ondo, Yobe, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti, Ogun, Sokoto, Cross River, Taraba, and Gombe, where Osifo recorded no votes. His strongest showings were in Lagos with 814,988 votes, Adamawa with 644,149, and Kaduna with 618,914. Osifo’s best result was in Niger State with 5,248 votes.
The declaration ceremony was attended by Vice President Keshim Shettima, APC governors who acted as state returning officers, First Lady Olu-Remi Tinubu, and senior party figures including Senators Ken Nnamani and Victor Ndoma-Egba.
The reported 99.5% turnout of accredited voters and 99.85% vote share for Tinubu indicates near-unanimous support within the party’s registered base for this contest. The use of results from all wards suggests an attempt to project inclusivity and grassroots reach.
Tinubu’s wins in every state, including in the South-South, South-East, and North-Central where opposition parties have traditionally been competitive, signal broad delegate support across APC structures. The margins in Lagos, Adamawa, and Kaduna reflect strength in both his political base and key northern states.
Having the primary chaired by Pius Anyim and attended by top party and government officials adds institutional weight to the process and frames it as a consolidated party decision ahead of 2027.
With the nomination secured more than a year before the 2027 election, the APC avoids a protracted internal contest. That gives Tinubu and the party more time to focus on campaign strategy, policy messaging, and alliance building.
As the sitting president seeking a second term, Tinubu now enters the 2027 race as the official APC candidate with party machinery aligned behind him. The focus shifts to how the administration’s record from 2023 to 2026 is framed for voters.
The landslide result puts pressure on opposition parties to consolidate and define their own candidates and platforms. With APC’s ticket settled, the next phase will be about how opposition blocs respond and whether they coordinate.
The result suggests APC delegates are backing continuity of the current administration’s agenda. Campaigns ahead will likely centre on how that agenda is received at the state and grassroots level.
The ticket is now officially secured. The next watch point is how APC structures the campaign and how opposition parties position themselves against an incumbent ticket.
By Prosper Amedeka, African Eye Report
