Another 1, 2, 10, 800, 5,000 counting? Nigerians question Tinubu’s 10.9 million votes in APC primary

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2027 general election after polling 10,999,162 votes in the party’s nationwide direct primary election, defeating his sole challenger, Stanley Osifo, who secured 16,504 votes.

The outcome, announced by the party during the national collation of results in Abuja, has triggered widespread reactions on social media, with many Nigerians questioning the figures recorded in the exercise.

Much of the criticism has centred on the fact that Tinubu’s reported primary votes exceeded the 8.79 million votes he secured in the 2023 presidential election, leading some commentators to question how an internal party primary could produce a significantly higher turnout than a nationwide general election.

Others also raised concerns over the state-by-state vote breakdown released by the party, particularly in states where the APC has traditionally recorded lower electoral strength.

While supporters of the president have defended the results as evidence of overwhelming support among APC members nationwide, critics have described the figures as unrealistic and difficult to reconcile with previous electoral records.

Some reactions shared online include:

@ubongutioh: “He scored a mere 8 million in the last election. Then three years later, he scored 11 million in the APC primary election. Magic. My worry is why shame no de catch una!”

@SOAMQUAY: “Only 11m? Why not the entire 250m of us?”

@uguruezine: “Even Tinubu himself will be very surprised at this number.”

@KosoKhalifa: “Bayo Onanuga, is this how to count votes? APC bunch of criminals.”

@Akin_Malaolu: “10.9m is your rigging template.”

@consultchimosky: “You guys still rig in your own primary election against your own members too.”

@BeegTipsy: “How can someone have 8m votes in a presidential election and 11m votes in party primaries? Una no rate Nigerians at all.”

The debate has since fuelled broader conversations about transparency in party primaries and electoral processes, with many social media users demanding further explanations regarding the figures announced by the ruling party.

As of the time of filing this report, the APC had not issued any additional clarification beyond the official results announced at the national collation centre.

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