President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has crushed Stanley Osifo in the All Progressives Congress presidential primaries, sealing his grip on the party’s 2027 ticket. The nationwide vote yesterday left Osifo with barely a handful of delegates as Tinubu swept every state, including Osifo’s home base in Edo. The numbers tell the story—Tinubu walked away with over 95% of the votes, turning the primaries into a mere formality.
State governors, National Assembly loyalists, and local party chiefs fell in line behind the president, treating the exercise as a loyalty parade. Osifo, a political lightweight with no national profile, was always the underdog. He never had a shot. His campaign collapsed before it even began, starved of funds and institutional backing. The APC machine, oiled by Tinubu’s influence, moved as one to shut down any dissent.
The victory sets Tinubu up for a fierce general election showdown. The Peoples Democratic Party is already sharpening its attacks, vowing to challenge the primaries in court. Legal battles will follow—Osifo’s team will allege voter intimidation, financial inducement, and outright rigging. But the APC controls the levers of power. INEC will hesitate to intervene, and the courts may drag their feet. Tinubu’s camp, meanwhile, will use this win to silence critics and tighten its hold on the party.
This was never a contest. It was a coronation. Tinubu has made it clear—he owns the APC, and he intends to keep it that way. The 2027 election starts now, and the opposition had better wake up.
