Edo Trader Osifo Stanley Picks APC Presidential Form, Set to Challenge Tinubu in 2027

A trader from Edo State, Osifo Stanley, has declared his bid for the 2027 presidential election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, after purchasing the party’s ₦100 million expression of interest and nomination forms.  

Stanley becomes the first aspirant to publicly challenge President Bola Tinubu for the APC ticket, setting up an early contest within the ruling party.  

He completed the purchase on Tuesday at the Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, just hours after allies of President Tinubu obtained the same forms on the president’s behalf ahead of the party’s presidential primary slated for May 23.  

The development was revealed in a video shared on X by Imran Muhammad, Senior Special Assistant on New Media to the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda.  

Earlier, the president’s forms were picked up by James Faleke, member of the House of Representatives for Ikeja Federal Constituency, Lagos State.  

President Tinubu, who is seeking a second term, has secured broad endorsements within the APC, including from governors elected on the party’s platform.  

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja, Stanley dismissed claims that his ambition was being sponsored by the president.  

“It is not strange to hear people say Tinubu is the one sponsoring me… I can categorically tell you that I have never benefited one kobo from him. If anybody has proof, let them show the world,” he said.  

He insisted that both the APC constitution and Nigeria’s electoral laws guarantee the right of any qualified member to contest for office.  

“There is no part of our party constitution that says that if anyone is endorsed, he automatically becomes the candidate of the party,” Stanley added. “Provisions of the law empower aspirants to seek party tickets freely.”