Party primaries and the end of democratic politics, By Jibrin Ibrahim

There was no surprise when the APC Presidential primaries took place in 8,809 wards across 36 states and the FCT and President Tinubu won with 10,999,967 votes as announced by Senator Pius Anyim Anyim at the Tinubu International Conference Centre in Abuja on Sunday, 23 May. They didn’t choose the Eagle Square. The announcement had to be in a building named after Tinubu himself! The only issue was that no one saw anyone voting. To lend the entire process a veneer of legitimacy, competition and credibility, Tinubu was challenged by an unknown person called Stanley Osifo from Edo State. People have now seen his name for the first time as he was allocated 16,504 votes and according to rumours that circulated, he was handsomely rewarded for his role in play acting. It was good drama.