A fresh crisis has erupted within the Oyo State chapter of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) as 33 chairmanship candidates and 351 councillorship candidates of the party have approached the Federal High Court in Ibadan over an alleged move to conduct fresh primaries for the forthcoming local government elections.
The plaintiffs, who emerged from the APM local government and councillorship primaries conducted across the state on August 3, 2026, are seeking judicial intervention to prevent the party from conducting another primary election for the same positions.
According to court documents, the August 3 primaries were monitored by the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), while the results of the exercise were subsequently submitted to the commission.
The candidates said they were compelled to approach the court following reports that the National Chairman of the APM was seeking to nullify the August 3 primaries and organise another round of elections to select candidates for the local government polls.
The development is coming amid a deepening dispute over the party’s candidates, with rival camps reportedly producing parallel candidates.
One of the camps is said to be aligned with a prominent Oyo politician, Alhaji Bisi Olopoeyan, while another group is reportedly backing Governor Seyi Makinde.
In their suit, the plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether OYSIEC has the power to accept or recognise more than one candidate nominated by the APM for the same local government or ward, particularly after the commission monitored the August 3 primaries.
They are also challenging any attempt by OYSIEC to monitor another primary election conducted by the APM for the same positions, arguing that the electoral body had already monitored and supervised the August 3 exercise.
The plaintiffs are further asking the court to determine whether individuals whose names were not included in the APM membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within the period prescribed by law could lawfully participate in the party’s primaries.
The suit has the Allied Peoples Movement, its National Chairman, OYSIEC and INEC listed as defendants.
The candidates are consequently asking the Federal High Court to grant the declarations and consequential orders contained in their Originating Summons, as the dispute over the party’s candidates threatens to deepen the internal crisis ahead of the forthcoming local government elections in Oyo State.
The legal action has further heightened uncertainty over the identity of candidates that will ultimately represent the APM in the local government elections, with the court now expected to pronounce on the issues raised by the aggrieved candidates.