Tensions have risen in the Osun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as stakeholders and aspirants warned party leaders against tampering with results of the recently concluded primaries.
Several politicians and contestants told our correspondent that they are concerned that some party officials are attempting to alter declared results in favour of preferred candidates.
The aggrieved members called on the Minister of Marine Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, a key APC figure in the state, not to succumb to pressure to change 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 aspirant said.
The warnings come amid a nationwide review of APC primary elections ahead of the 2027 general elections. Party sources said the APC has finalized its candidate list and will not revisit or re-run any primaries, despite petitions from aggrieved aspirants.
Results already submitted to the APC national secretariat remain unchanged, according to checks with INEC. The House of Assembly primary list submitted by INEC monitors on election day is intact and is being prepared for upload to the INEC nomination portal, which opens on June 26 and closes on July 11.
A member of the APC National Working Committee, NWC, confirmed that the timeline for primaries and appeals has elapsed and no further reviews are being considered.
The source said appeal panels that examined petitions nationwide found most to be frivolous, with fewer than 2% successful. The primaries covered 109 senatorial districts, 360 House of Representatives seats, and thousands of state assembly constituencies, with most seats attracting no appeals.
The NWC member also denied claims that President Bola Tinubu 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 intervene.
Party officials maintain that the Osun primaries are intact and will be uploaded unchanged.
When contacted, APC National Secretary Ajibola Basiru declined to comment, describing the matter as an internal party affair. National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka did not respond to requests for comment.
Some aggrieved aspirants warned that altering current results could damage the APC’s prospects in 2027, citing risks of defections, voter apathy, and internal sabotage.
“The party is sowing the wind; it will reap the whirlwind,” one aspirant cautioned.
