The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has unequivocally stated that the All Progressives Congress (APC) never conducted its compulsory primary election for the forthnight Ibadan North Federal Constituency bye-election.
From a letter dated July 21, 2025, and received by the Director of Election and Party Monitoring at the headquarters of the commission in Abuja, attempts to monitor the party’s primary were abortive and unsuccessful.
The primary was initially scheduled over the weekend (19–20 July) as part of the process to field a candidate to replace the late Hon. Musliudeen Olaide Akinremi, who passed away in July 2024. Acting Administrative Secretary Rosemary Alaba Adeniyi and the Acting Head of INEC’s department of Election & Party Monitoring, Kehinde Omisile, both testified to the non-conduct of any APC primary exercise .
Similarly, Leadership Nigeria similarly asserted that there was no primary for the bye-election on the scheduled dates, based on the same letter .
The row has created concerns of a deficiency in internal democracy in the APC and questioning whether releasing a candidate without formally conducted primaries would lead to legal challenges or discredit the party ahead of the August bye-election .
