ABUJA, Nigeria — President Bola Tinubu has cemented his grip on Nigeria’s ruling party, securing a landslide victory in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary to emerge as its official candidate for the 2027 general election.
In a nationwide direct primary that served more as a coronation than a contest, President Tinubu amassed nearly 11 million votes across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The result leaves his sole challenger, a little-known aspirant named Stanley Osifo, utterly marginalised on the fringes of the ruling party’s internal politics.
The staggering figures were made public during a high-profile national collation ceremony at the newly named President Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja, underscoring the incumbent’s total dominance over the party’s machinery.
An Overwhelming Mandate
The sheer scale of the final tally highlights the vast disparity between the resources of the presidency and those of the insurgent challenger.
According to the Presidential Primary Election Committee, chaired by former Senate President Pius Anyim, President Tinubu polled a total of 10,999,967 votes. By contrast, Mr. Osifo garnered just 16,504 votes across the entire federation.
The direct primary election was conducted simultaneously across 8,809 wards nationwide, requiring a massive logistical deployment coordinated by 31 state governors and senior party chiefs who acted as regional collation officers.
The Regional Breakdown
The data presented in Abuja reveals that President Tinubu maintained a sweeping lead across all of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, drawing massive numbers from traditional strongholds and highly populated states:
- The South-West: In his home region, the president secured emphatic victories, led by 814,988 votes in Lagos, 322,485 in Ogun, and 181,996 in Ondo. Mr Osifo’s presence was barely felt, yielding just 1,186 votes in Lagos and zero in several neighbouring states.
- The North-West: Historically a critical electoral battleground, the region delivered overwhelming support for the incumbent. Kaduna returned 618,914 votes, while Kano and Katsina delivered 500,852 and 467,003 votes respectively.
- The North-Central & FCT: The president swept the zone, picking up 374,787 votes in Benue and 310,990 in Kwara. In the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Tinubu took 36,103 votes, while his opponent failed to secure a single ballot.
- The South-East & South-South: Despite these zones traditionally favouring opposition parties in general elections, the APC internal registry turned out in force for the president. He secured 582,960 votes in Imo and 407,646 votes in Delta, effectively drowning out Mr Osifo’s marginal gains.
The Road to 2027
While the outcome of the primary was never in serious doubt, the massive numbers are intended to send a powerful signal of internal unity to the opposition and the wider electorate. By ensuring that 31 sitting state governors personally supervised and delivered these results, the Tinubu camp has demonstrated a highly disciplined command over the ruling party’s grassroots base.
However, political analysts point out that translating 11 million internal party votes into a general election victory in 2027 will depend heavily on the administration’s ability to steer the country through its current economic reforms.
With the party primary now settled, President Tinubu has formally received the APC flag and his certificate of return, clearing the deck for what promises to be a highly combative national campaign season leading up to the general elections.
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