APM Crisis Deepens As Aggrieved Members File Suit on Court

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The crisis in the Allied People’s Movement (APM) Thursday took a new twist as aggrieved members instituted two suits at the Federal High Court Ibadan.

The first suit was instituted by the 33 candidates that emerged from the Primary conducted for the Local Government Election schedule to take place in Oyo State in December.

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 in respect of the local governments election coming up in the state having been duly elected as the candidates in a primary election conducted by their party ( APM)

This is as the second suit instituted by Musibau Olayiwola, an elected Zonal Vice Chairman of the party is seeking the nullification of the national convention of the APM recently held in Bauchi, 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 were adjourned for hearing till Monday, September 21, 2026.

The Plaintiff, Musibau Olayiwola, in the Originating Summons marked: FHC/IB/CS/101/26, has sued the Allied People’s Movement (APM); Yusuff Mamman Dantalle (National Chairman APM); Oyadeyi Ayodele Adebayo (National Secretary APM); The Chairman, Planning Committee for the National Convention; and the INEC.

Olayiwola represented by Monday Mawah and Joseph Simon, asked 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)”.

In the suit by the applicants in respect of the local governments election filed and dated 10 August, 2026, the 33 applicants informed the court that primary was held on 3rd August, 2026, where candidates for local government election have 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 monitor fresh primary as their names have emerged from the first primary and submitted to the OYSIEC by appropriate quarter”.

Speaking after the court adjournment, Monday Mawah who was the Solicitor for the Applicants in the two suits said, “the first suit which was instituted by Hon. Bisi Akande and 32 others is in respect of the primary election conducted by the APM to fill the candidates for the forthcoming Local Governments Election in Oyo State.

“Our client participated in that primary, they emerge victorious from the primary and their names were submitted to the OYSIEC after their emergence from the primary.

“But along the line, we realised that, some of the Stakeholders in the party, (APM), who were not comfortable with the emergence of the candidates approached the OYSIEC that they wanted to conduct another primary and want OYSIEC to monitor it.”