Zainab Abioye
The crisis rocking the Allied People’s Movement deepened on Wednesday as aggrieved members of the party instituted two separate suits before the Federal High Court in Ibadan, Oyo State, challenging the conduct of its primary election and national convention.
The suits, filed by 33 candidates and an elected zonal officer of the party, seek judicial intervention over what the plaintiffs described as actions capable of undermining their emergence and participation in the party’s internal processes.
The first suit was instituted by Hon. Bisi Akande and 32 other candidates who claimed to have emerged from the APM’s local government primary conducted ahead of the forthcoming Oyo State local government election.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to restrain the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission from monitoring or recognising any fresh primary organised by the APM for the same positions.
They argued that the August 3, 2026, primary had already produced candidates for the various positions and that allowing another primary could create multiple candidates for the same elective positions.
The plaintiffs further claimed that the first primary was conducted democratically and that OYSIEC officials were notified and attended the exercise.
They alleged that some party stakeholders who were dissatisfied with the outcome subsequently approached OYSIEC seeking the monitoring of another primary.
The second suit was filed by Musibau Olayiwola, an elected zonal officer of the party, who is challenging the validity of the APM national convention held in Bauchi on August 12 and 13, 2026.
Olayiwola is asking the court to nullify the convention on the grounds that he was allegedly prevented from participating in the process after emerging from the party’s South-West Zonal Congress.
According to his originating summons, Olayiwola claimed that he was elected at the South-West Zonal Congress held on May 23, 2026, but was not issued the nomination forms required for him to participate in the ratification process at the national convention.
He is consequently seeking an order directing the party to conduct a fresh convention at which he would be allowed to participate.
Both matters came before Justice Uche Agomoh of the Federal High Court 1, Ibadan, on Wednesday.
The court adjourned the suits until September 21, 2026, for hearing.
Counsel to the plaintiffs, Monday Mawah, said the first suit became necessary after attempts were allegedly made to organise another primary despite the earlier emergence of candidates.
Mawah said, “Our clients participated in that primary; they emerged victorious from the primary, and their names were submitted to the OYSIEC after their emergence from the primary.”
He added that the party’s stakeholders could not lawfully produce another set of candidates for the same positions after a valid primary had already been conducted.
According to him, the August 3 primary was monitored by officials of OYSIEC after the electoral body had been notified by the party.
On the second case, the lawyer alleged that Olayiwola was denied the opportunity to participate in the national convention despite his emergence from the South-West Zonal Congress.
He said, “After his emergence, he was supposed to be given forms to participate in the national convention, but all efforts to get the forms proved abortive.
“As I speak to you, he was not allowed
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