The crisis in the Allied People’s Movement (APM) has deepened as the zonal vice-chairman of the party, Musibau Olayiwola, instituted a suit at the Federal High Court, Ibadan, challenging the national convention of the party held in Bauchi.
Apart from this, 33 candidates who emerged from the primary election conducted for the local government elections scheduled to take place in Oyo State in December have also approached the same court over an alleged attempt to conduct a fresh primary in the state.
In the suit, Hon. Bisi Akande and 32 others are seeking a court order to stop the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) from monitoring any other primary by the APM for the forthcoming local government elections in Oyo State, having been duly elected as candidates in a primary election conducted by their party.
However, the suit filed by the zonal vice-chairman of the party is seeking the nullification of the APM’s national convention recently held in Bauchi and calling for a fresh convention that will give him the opportunity to participate.
The two suits, which came before Justice Uche Agomoh of the Federal High Court 1, Ibadan, on Wednesday, were adjourned for hearing on Monday, September 21, 2026.
Olayiwola, in the originating summons marked FHC/IB/CS/101/26, sued the APM, Yusuff Mamman Dantalle, the national chairman; Oyadeyi Ayodele Adebayo, the national secretary; the chairman of the planning committee for the national convention; and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Represented by Monday Mawah and Joseph Simon, the plaintiff is asking the court to determine whether ‘upon a proper and dispassionate construction of the provision of Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Article 8 and 11 of the Allied People’s Movement party Constitution, and every other relevant laws, the plaintiff who was elected as the zonal chairman from the zonal congress held on the 23 May, 2026, is not entitled to be given nomination forms in order for him to be ratified at the General/National Convention of the party slated for 12 and 13 August, 2026 in Bauchi state.
‘Whether the refusal or failure to give the plaintiff nomination forms in order for him to be ratified at the convention, does not violate his right to hold office within the party’.
Olayiwola’s grounds of application included the fact that he and other persons ’emerged from the duly conducted zonal congress of the party in accordance with the party’s constitution; that the said congresses were conducted in strict compliance with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the APM Constitution, and guidelines of the party.
‘That the lists of everyone that emerged from the said congresses including the name of the plaintiff were submitted to the national body of the party and the INEC as 5th defendant; that everyone that emerged was given nomination forms in order for their position to be ratified at the General/National Convention; and that despite all efforts to obtain his nomination form, the party has denied me the right to obtain the form; that without the form, his position as Zonal Chairman will not be ratified, and it will clearly violate his right under the party and under the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigerian 1999 (As Amended)’, claimed the plaintiff.
In the suit filed by the applicants in respect of the local government election, dated August 10, 2026, the 33 applicants informed the court that a primary election was held on August 3, 2026, where candidates for the local government election emerged.
‘After the first primary of 3rd August, 2026, in which the emerged, the stakeholders felt uncomfortable and approached the OYSIEC to hold another primary against the party guidelines which says that two candidates cannot be sponsored for the same position when one had already emerged as the candidate and OYSIEC actually monitored it.
‘Thus, the APM 33 local government candidates are asking the court to stop OYSIEC from monitoring fresh primary as their names have emerged from the first primary and submitted to the OYSIEC by appropriate quarter’.