President Bola Tinubu has formally emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2027 general election after securing a landslide victory in the party’s nationwide direct primary election.
Results announced during the ongoing national collation exercise in Abuja showed Tinubu defeating his only challenger, Stanley Osifo, by a wide margin after voting was conducted across the APC’s 8,809 wards nationwide.
The President polled a total of 10,999,967 votes, while Osifo secured 16,504 votes across the federation.
The collation of results is taking place at the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre, where governors, senior party officials and state coordinators presented figures from their respective states before the Presidential Primary Election Committee headed by former Senate President, Pius Anyim.
The outcome further strengthened Tinubu’s dominance within the ruling party ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
In the South-West, regarded as the APC’s traditional stronghold, the President recorded overwhelming victories across all six states.
Lagos delivered 814,988 votes for Tinubu, while Ogun returned 322,485 votes. In Ondo, he secured 181,996 votes, while Oyo produced 142,754 votes. Osun returned 100,888 votes for the President, with Ekiti contributing 85,340 votes.
Osifo recorded only limited support in the zone, polling 1,186 votes in Lagos and 929 in Oyo, while failing to secure votes in several other South-West states.
The North-West also produced strong numbers for the President during the direct primary exercise.
Kaduna emerged among the highest contributors with 618,914 votes, while Kano returned 500,852 votes. Katsina delivered 467,003 votes, while Zamfara produced 321,579 votes. Sokoto contributed 301,000 votes, with Kebbi returning 292,972 votes for Tinubu.
Gombe equally recorded a strong showing for the President with 450,517 votes, while Osifo managed only scattered figures across parts of the region.
In the North-Central zone, Tinubu maintained a commanding lead in all states.
He secured 374,787 votes in Benue, 310,990 in Kwara, 285,436 in Nasarawa and 241,720 votes in Plateau. Kogi delivered 197,370 votes, while Niger contributed 175,487 votes.
The Federal Capital Territory also aligned heavily in favour of the President, producing 36,103 votes, while Osifo reportedly failed to record any vote in Abuja.
The South-East and South-South regions also returned significant support for the APC leader.
In the South-East, Tinubu secured 582,960 votes in Imo, while Enugu delivered 383,382 votes. Ebonyi contributed 207,579 votes, with Abia returning 161,005 votes and Anambra producing 43,034 votes.
Across the South-South, Delta recorded 407,646 votes for the President, while Akwa Ibom delivered 389,197 votes. Rivers returned 280,082 votes, and Bayelsa produced 227,192 votes.
Osifo recorded relatively low figures in most states, including 1,007 votes in Abia and 384 votes in Anambra.
With the conclusion of the nationwide collation, Tinubu officially emerged as the APC presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, positioning the ruling party for another electoral contest.
