By Our Correspondent—
Tensions are mounting within the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as stakeholders and aspirants have warned party leaders against any attempt to manipulate the outcome of the recently concluded primaries.
Speaking to Morning Post, several politicians and contestants expressed grave concern that some party officials are moving to alter the declared results in favour of preferred candidates.
The aggrieved members specifically called on the Minister of Marine Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, a key party figure in the state, not to yield to any pressure to tamper with the primary results as they currently appear on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) nomination portal. “Any such action will not be tolerated and will be resisted,” one of the aspirants warned.
The warnings come amid a broader, nationwide review of the APC’s primary election process for the 2027 general elections. According to party sources, the APC has finalised its candidate list and will not revisit or re-run any primaries, despite petitions and protests from disgruntled aspirants.
The results, already submitted to the APC national secretariat, according to an investigation with INEC, have been confirmed the remain intact and unchanged as of the date of this report. The list attached to this report is now being prepared for upload to the INEC nomination portal, which opens on 26 June and closes on 11 July.
A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) confirmed that the timeline for both primaries and appeals has elapsed, and no further reviews are being considered.
The source added that the appeal panels, which examined petitions from across the country, found the vast majority to be frivolous. “Fewer than two per cent of petitions were successful,” the NWC member disclosed.
The primaries covered 109 senatorial districts, 360 House of Representatives seats and thousands of state assembly constituencies, with most seats attracting no appeals at all.
The NWC member also denied claims that President Bola Tinubu had intervened in the process. “No directive has come from the Presidency to review the results,” he said. However, an Osun-based aspirant countered that “powers that be” are preventing the President from seeing the full picture and expressed hope that Tinubu would eventually step in.
Party officials maintain that the Osun State primaries are intact and will be uploaded unchanged.
When approached for comment, APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru declined to speak, describing the matter as an internal party affair. National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka did not respond to requests for a statement.
Meanwhile, some aggrieved aspirants have warned that pressing ahead with altering the current results could backfire on the APC in the 2027 elections.
They cited risks of defections, voter apathy and internal sabotage. “The party is sowing the wind; it will reap the whirlwind,” one of them cautioned.
