Collation of presidential primary results confirming President Bola Tinubu as the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s 2027 presidential candidate has begun in Abuja.

The exercise is holding at the Bola Tinubu International Conference Centre.

Governors from Niger, Bayelsa, Ondo, Ogun, Kwara, Kogi, Rivers, Plateau, Imo and Yobe states attended the exercise.

The APC national leaders, state chairmen, former governors and former Senate Presidents, Ken Nnamani and Pius Anyim, were also present.

Federal lawmakers, led by principal officers from both chambers of the National Assembly, attended the event.

The APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, dismissed circulating videos alleging voter miscounting during recent party primaries.

“Sometimes you see videos online. I received one later discovered to be from an event held three or four years ago,” he said.

He said the clips lacked the APC banners, logos and membership cards, proving they were unrelated to the party’s activities.

“These are unverified videos. They were not meant for our party activities but are circulated as if they are APC activities.

“If you check our activities, you will see our flags, banners and members raising their membership cards,” he added.

He said the APC had become the preferred platform for politicians seeking elective offices ahead of the 2027 general election.

According to him, thousands purchased expression of interest and nomination forms, reflecting the party’s growing popularity nationwide.

Mr Yilwatda said the large turnout during the party’s congresses demonstrated grassroots support and signalled stronger participation during the 2027 elections.

He said, “This is a mock demonstration of what the general election will look like.

“It shows clearly that no other party would win because the numbers turning out are in thousands.”

He described internal disagreements during governorship and legislative primaries as normal in competitive political contests.

Mr Yilwatda said the APC had established reconciliation and conflict resolution mechanisms at state and national levels to address disputes quickly.

“There is no political contest anywhere in the world without complaints.

“If nobody complains during congresses or internal elections, it means the party is weak and uncompetitive,” he said.

He likened the process to a football league, saying strong competition naturally generated disagreements among contestants.

Earlier, Mr Anyim, chairman of the APC 2026 presidential primary election results committee, described the exercise as “too big and challenging” to handle.

Voting concluded on Saturday across 8,809 wards in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Under the APC’s direct primary system, all registered party members were eligible to vote for their preferred presidential candidate.

Party leaders said the process demonstrated commitment to internal democracy and broader grassroots political participation.

 (NAN)