APC primary rigging accused in Nigeria

Social media posts on Sunday accused Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress, or APC, of rigging internal party primaries ahead of the 2027 general election, reviving complaints that had already surfaced in local media during the party’s week-long nomination process. The most-circulated allegation appeared in an X thread that included screenshots and commentary but did not cite any independent verification. The post claimed official returns had been manipulated and urged supporters to “multiply numbers from 20 to 1000 to 400,000,” a phrase that spread online without documentary proof attached. Published reporting from Nigerian outlets in recent days has separately described complaints by APC aspirants and party members over alleged inflated vote counts, imposed candidates and parallel results. ### What exactly was circulating on X on May 24? An X post highlighted in the social-media briefing alleged that APC primary returns had been altered and framed the exercise as a rehearsal for broader electoral manipulation. The post relied on screenshots and user commentary, not on an election monitor, court filing or statement from the Independent National Electoral Commission, known as INEC. (vanguardngr.com) The phrase about multiplying figures “from 20 to 1000 to 400,000” matched language that has appeared in wider discussion of the APC primaries. Vanguard reported on May 23 that in some places “votes were counted in geometric progression,” describing allegations from aggrieved participants in states including Edo and Kogi. ### Were there already public complaints about the APC primaries? (vanguardngr.com) BusinessDay reported on May 19 that APC House of Representatives primaries had triggered “widespread allegations of manipulation, imposition, and engineered consensus arrangements,” with at least 26 serving lawmakers losing return tickets. The outlet said aggrieved lawmakers and aspirants threatened legal action and alleged that delegate lists had been manipulated. (vanguardngr.com) Vanguard reported on May 23 that aspirant Alfred John Attajiri in Gombe State described an “invisible election” after results were announced in Balanga and Billiri local government areas where, he said, no valid primary had taken place. Vanguard said Attajiri pointed to video footage, photographs and eyewitness testimony in support of his claim. ### What did the APC say about the process? (businessday.ng) APC spokesperson Felix Morka said on May 14 that the party had postponed its House of Representatives primary election to May 16, while keeping other dates unchanged. The revised schedule left Senate primaries on May 18, state assembly primaries on May 20, governorship primaries on May 21 and the presidential primary on May 23. (vanguardngr.com) BusinessDay reported that Morka also confirmed 14 aspirants were disqualified during screening and said they had failed to meet the party’s procedures and guidelines. The report said he did not publicly detail the reasons for those disqualifications. ### What role does INEC play in party primaries? INEC’s regulations for political parties say parties seeking to nominate candidates must provide guidelines for their primaries and give eligible members equal opportunities to participate. (dailypost.ng) The commission publishes regulations for monitoring party primaries, but the primaries themselves are run by the parties, not by INEC as a ballot administrator. (businessday.ng) BusinessDay reported on April 23 that INEC directed political parties to conduct primaries between April 23 and May 30, 2026. INEC’s elections page lists presidential and National Assembly elections for January 16, 2027, and governorship and state assembly elections for February 6, 2027. ### What can and cannot be verified now? The social-media allegations can be verified only as claims that were posted and circulated on May 24. (inecnigeria.org) The available posts do not, by themselves, establish that any specific result sheet was altered or that any national APC tally was falsified. The next concrete checkpoints are likely to be formal complaints by named aspirants, court filings, APC statements or INEC monitoring records tied to specific constituencies. (businessday.ng) INEC’s published calendar keeps the 2027 presidential and National Assembly vote on January 16, 2027, after the APC’s May 23, 2026 presidential primary. (inecnigeria.org) (vanguardngr.com)