Igwe Gerald Obunadike Mbamalu, the traditional ruler of Ojoto in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, has questioned the vote figures announced for the APC’s 2027 presidential primary, expressing doubts about the reported turnout.
In an interview with The Sun Nigeria published on Sunday, July 19, 2026, Mbamalu asked how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu secured 10,999,162 votes in the direct primary, arguing that if the APC already has that level of electoral support, it would effectively have won the general election.
“If APC won presidential primaries with such a large number of votes, how many people voted and what magic did he use to win? Where are these millions of votes coming from? If the APC has 10.99 million voters, they’ve won the election,” he said.
According to the Presidential Primary Election Committee chaired by former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, Tinubu defeated his lone challenger, Stanley Osifo, who polled 16,503 votes. The committee said 11,069,746 members were accredited from 12,643,316 registered members, while 11,015,665 members cast ballots across the 36 states, the FCT, 774 local government areas and 8,809 wards. The announced figures have since generated public debate, although the APC maintains that the primary complied with its constitution and applicable electoral rules.
