The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Oyo State, has officially confirmed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election for the Ibadan North Federal Constituency bye-election, scheduled to hold on Saturday, July 19, 2025, did not take place.

In a letter dated July 21, 2025, and addressed to the Director of Election and Party Monitoring at INEC Headquarters in Abuja, the Acting Administrative Secretary in Oyo State, Rosemary Alaba Adeniyi, submitted a formal report validating the failure of the exercise.

According to the attached report signed by Kehinde Omisile, the Acting Head of Department for Election and Party Monitoring (EPM), “All efforts to monitor the APC Primary Election as specified in another letter signed by the State Secretary and submitted on Sunday, 20 July, 2025, proved abortive.”

The confirmation from the electoral umpire corroborates an earlier communique signed by six of the aspirants vying for the party’s ticket. In that joint statement, the aspirants unanimously declared that both the ward congress for delegate selection and the primary election itself did not hold as scheduled. They also raised alarm over what they described as an attempt to hijack the process in broad daylight.

Despite the absence of any monitored or credible exercise, one of the aspirants, Hon Wale Murphy thank you banner are seen all over the social media, for been declared as the “elected candidate” of the party, a move that has further deepened the controversy and provoked outrage among party members, stakeholders, and the aspirants themselves.

The development has exposed deep cracks within the APC in Ibadan North and raised serious questions about transparency, fairness, and internal democracy in the party’s handling of the bye-election process.

Observers warn that if the current crisis is not resolved with sincerity and adherence to due process, the APC may be walking a dangerous path not only towards losing the bye-election but also jeopardizing its standing ahead of the 2027 general elections.

As at the time of filing this report, the APC is yet to issue an official response to the INEC report or address the concerns raised by the aggrieved aspirants. Stakeholders continue to demand accountability and urge the party’s national leadership to wade in decisively to save the situation.