A total of 33 chairmanship and 351 councillorship candidates of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) in Oyo State have approached the Federal High Court in Ibadan over reported plans to conduct fresh primaries for the forthcoming local government elections.

The candidates, who emerged from the party’s local government and councillorship primaries held across the state on August 3, 2026, are asking the court to prevent the APM from organising another primary election for the same positions.

The dispute centres on the validity of the August 3 exercise and reports that the party intends to conduct another round of primaries.

According to the court documents, the August 3 primaries were monitored by the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC), after which the results were submitted to the electoral body.

The plaintiffs maintain that having emerged from the exercise, their candidacies should not be displaced by another set of primaries without addressing the status of the earlier election.

The suit followed reports that the APM National Chairman was seeking the cancellation of the earlier exercise and the organisation of fresh primaries to select the party’s candidates for the council elections.

The disagreement has also exposed divisions within the Oyo State chapter of the party, with rival sets of candidates reportedly emerging ahead of the local government elections.

One group of candidates is said to be associated with party chieftain Bisi Olopoeyan, while another is backed by the administration of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde.

The competing claims have raised questions over which candidates the party is entitled to present for the council positions and whether the state electoral commission can accept multiple nominations from the same political party for a particular position.

The plaintiffs have therefore asked the Federal High Court to determine whether OYSIEC can 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 the possibility of OYSIEC monitoring another primary conducted by the party for the same positions.

The candidates argue that the electoral commission has already monitored the August 3 exercise and received the results arising from it.

The suit raises another question concerning participation in political party primaries.

The plaintiffs are asking the court to determine whether individuals whose names were not included in the APM membership register submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission within the period prescribed by law can lawfully participate in the party’s primaries.

The issue could have implications for the competing claims over the party’s candidates, particularly if rival groups relied on different membership lists or structures in conducting their respective exercises.

The plaintiffs have consequently asked the court to make the declarations and orders contained in their Originating Summons.

The Allied Peoples Movement, its National Chairman, OYSIEC and the Independent National Electoral Commission are listed as defendants in the suit.

The case adds another layer to the political contest surrounding the forthcoming local government elections in Oyo State, with the dispute now shifting to the courts over the process through which the APM’s candidates should be selected and recognised.

Until the issues raised in the suit are determined, the disagreement leaves the status of the competing APM candidates subject to judicial scrutiny.