APC Primaries: High vote margins, irregular counting patterns across states shock Nigerians

The outcome of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship and House of Assembly primaries across several states has continued to generate widespread public debate, as unusually high vote totals, sweeping victories, and reported irregular counting patterns fuel fresh questions about internal democracy ahead of the 2027 general elections.

In Nasarawa State, the APC primary committee declared Senator Aliyu Wadada winner of the governorship ticket with a landslide 195,285 votes, defeating former Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, who polled 39,675 votes.

In Adamawa State, Ahmed Galadima emerged victorious in another closely watched contest, securing a massive 414,444 votes, far ahead of Abdulrazak Namdas with 86,004 votes, while Abdulrahman Haske followed with 65,934 votes.

In Abia State, Eric Opah clinched the APC governorship ticket after polling 126,977 votes, defeating Henry Ikoh, who managed 5,905 votes, in a race that further highlighted the wide margins recorded across several state primaries.

In Kaduna State, Governor Uba Sani emerged as the party’s flag bearer after reportedly polling 459,393 votes, in what party sources described as a strong endorsement of his administration and political structure within the state.

In Lagos State, the APC House of Assembly primary for Surulere 1 also drew attention, where Hon. Barakat Odunuga reportedly polled 11,385 votes to defeat popular actor-turned-politician Desmond Elliot, who scored just 270 votes.

Still in Lagos, the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, emerged after securing 657,917 votes, in a result that further reinforced the pattern of large numerical outcomes across several APC primaries.

In Rivers State, Ogundu Kingsley Chinda clinched the APC governorship ticket after polling 268,497 votes, following the withdrawal of other aspirants ahead of the exercise, a development that significantly shaped the outcome of the contest.

However, beyond the sweeping victories and large vote margins, concerns have continued to emerge over alleged irregular counting patterns in some states, particularly in parts of Akwa Ibom and other locations where delegates and observers claim that collation processes did not follow a consistent or transparent structure.

In those disputed exercises, party insiders alleged that vote counts appeared to progress in abrupt and uneven jumps rather than a steady tally, with figures reportedly moving from small numbers such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, before suddenly escalating to 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, and even 10,000, raising questions about the integrity of collation and aggregation methods used in the primaries.

Although these claims have not been independently verified, they have added to growing concerns among party members and political observers about the transparency of the process, especially in states where disputes over delegate lists and accreditation reportedly complicated the conduct of the primaries.

Across the country, the recurring pattern of massive vote gaps, near-landslide victories, and disputed counting methods has intensified calls for clearer explanations from APC officials on how votes were recorded, verified, and collated at ward and state levels.

While the APC leadership insists that the primaries were conducted in line with party guidelines and supervised procedures, the emerging controversies have continued to deepen discussions around consensus arrangements, delegate influence, and the growing perception that some outcomes may reflect internal alignments rather than competitive contests.

Political analysts say the controversy is not only about who won or lost, but about the credibility of internal party democracy at a time when political parties are expected to strengthen transparency ahead of the 2027 elections.

As the political season gathers momentum, the APC primaries are increasingly becoming a reference point in national conversations about electoral integrity within party structures, with opposition voices and civil society groups calling for greater accountability in how candidates emerge across Nigeria’s major political platforms.

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