Oyo APC Primary Erupts Over ‘Impossible’ Vote Figures of 570,000 Votes from 153,000 Members

…Disputed figures threaten fresh petitions, litigation, and deeper factional divisions within the party

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has been thrown into fresh turmoil following its governorship primary election, which was obviously marred by allegations of irregularities.

The camp of Senator Sarafadeen Alli has been circulating results claiming he polled approximately 570,690 votes (reported as 578,143 in some outlets), a figure that has sparked widespread outrage and skepticism.

According to official APC membership registration data verified by party officials, including the Membership E-Registration Supervisor for Ogbomoso North, the total number of registered APC members in Oyo State stands at just 153,641. This breaks down as follows:
Oyo North (58,823),
Oyo Central (52,437),
and Oyo South (42,381).

Some critics and other media analysts have also described the claimed 570,690 votes as mathematically impossible in a direct primary restricted to verified party members only.

For perspective, in the 2019 Oyo Gubernatorial Election, APC candidate Adebayo Adelabu polled 357,982 votes statewide against PDP’s Seyi Makinde. In 2023, Makinde won decisively with over 563,000 votes against APC’s 256,685 votes for Sen. Teslim Folarin . A primary turnout exceeding total current registered membership by such a margin stands in stark contrast to historical voting patterns and recent membership registration drives which targeted about 350,000 party members earlier in 2026 according to the APC Publicity Secretary, Hon Wasiu Sadare.

The keenly contested primary election featured prominent aspirants including Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, Senator AbdulFatai Buhari, Engr Oyedele Allow Alao, and others. Reports of irregularities have been particularly strong from the Adelabu camp while pre-primary reports even suggested attempts to position Sen. Alli as a consensus candidate or disqualify some of the other aspirants.

Compounding the crisis, the APC National Secretariat issued an official statement on 20 May 2026, signed by National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka, declaring that no official results have been released for any of the party’s primary elections. The statement warned members to disregard all circulating figures as unofficial and speculative.

Legal and Political Implications

The huge discrepancy raises serious questions about the validity of the process, potentially involving ballot stuffing or fabricated results. Under APC guidelines and Nigerian electoral laws, such anomalies could lead to the nullification of the primary, petitions to the national electoral committee, or court challenges.

For Senator Alli, the inflated figures risk damaging his candidacy and could result in disqualification if proven false. This development may swing the outcome in favour of Adebayo Adelabu or any of the other aspirants who enjoy significant grassroots support, or trigger a fresh primary that gives other aspirants a fairer chance.

The controversy also threatens to deepen factional divisions within the Oyo APC and could weaken the party’s prospects against Governor Seyi Makinde’s new party, the APM in the 2027 governorship election. As tensions rise, stakeholders are calling for transparency and adherence to democratic principles, while awaiting the official declaration from APC national headquarters in Abuja.

The resolution of this matter will be critical in determining the party’s candidate and overall strength heading into the general election.