What the 2023 Election Meant for APC

Last checked: 14 October 2026. This article explains what the 2023 election meant for APC, using published results. It is civic education, not an endorsement of any party or candidate.

What the 2023 election meant for APC depends on which numbers you look at. The party kept the presidency, which was its main goal, but it did so with a much smaller share of the vote than in 2015 or 2019 and with fewer seats in the National Assembly. This guide sets out the facts and the questions they raised.

The candidate

With President Buhari reaching his two-term limit, the APC had to choose a new candidate. The party held an indirect primary in June 2022 in which delegates, not all members, chose Bola Tinubu over rivals that included Rotimi Amaechi and Yemi Osinbajo. Tinubu, a former Lagos governor and one of the party’s founders, then campaigned on the slogan “Renewed Hope”.

The presidential result

• Bola Tinubu (APC): 8,794,726 votes, or 36.61%, and 12 states.
• Atiku Abubakar (PDP): 6,984,520 votes, or 29.07%, and 12 states.
• Peter Obi (Labour Party): 6,101,533 votes, or 25.40%, and 11 states plus the FCT.
• Rabiu Kwankwaso (NNPP): 1,496,687 votes, or 6.23%, and one state.
• Turnout: 26.71%.

Tinubu led Atiku by about 1.8 million votes. Three candidates each won more than a quarter of the vote or close to it, a sign that Nigerian politics had become less of a two-party affair than in 2015 or 2019.

Compared with earlier APC wins

Buhari had won 15,424,921 votes in 2015 and 15,191,847 in 2019. Tinubu’s 8,794,726 votes in 2023 were about 6.4 million fewer than Buhari’s 2019 total. The winning share dropped from 55.60% to 36.61%, and turnout fell from 34.75% to 26.71%. This does not mean the party lost the election; it means it won with a narrower base.

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The National Assembly

The APC won 59 of 109 Senate seats and 176 of 360 House seats. That is a loss of four Senate seats and 26 House seats compared with 2019, though still enough for a majority in the Senate and a plurality in the House. Governing with a thinner margin meant that coalition-building in the legislature mattered more.

The governorship picture

The APC did well in the March 2023 governorship elections, with early reports counting wins in 15 of the first 25 states declared, while the PDP won six and the NNPP won Kano. Kano’s result showed that strong local candidates from other parties could still win, even when the presidential race went the other way.

The legal and technical disputes

Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi challenged the result, pointing to problems with the electronic transmission of results to INEC’s IReV portal and other alleged irregularities. On 26 October 2023 the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed their appeals. It held that the failure to transmit results electronically did not affect the outcome, that Atiku had not shown he won more votes, and that a candidate did not need 25% of the vote in the Federal Capital Territory to be declared winner. Opposition supporters have continued to criticise the process, while the APC and supporters point to the court’s rulings.

What it meant for the APC

• Continuity: the party kept the presidency for a third consecutive term, since 2015.
• A leaner mandate: its vote share was the smallest of its three wins.
• Regional contest: the party won in the south-west and north-west, while the south-east and parts of the south-south backed other candidates.
• Pressure to widen support: with turnout so low, the party faced a need to win over voters who stayed home.

The effect on 2027 preparations

After 2023, the APC grew through defections. By March 2026 it reportedly had 31 of the country’s 36 governors, and in May 2026 it held a direct presidential primary that Tinubu won with 10,999,162 votes. The 2023 numbers are a reminder that a strong party structure does not guarantee high turnout, so the 2027 campaign will have to address participation as well as persuasion.

What we could not confirm

• The complete final governorship tally for 2023.
• Why exactly so many registered voters did not vote, since surveys give different reasons.

Frequently asked questions

Did Tinubu win the most votes? Yes, with 8,794,726 votes according to INEC’s declared figures.

Was the result challenged? Yes, and the Supreme Court dismissed the final appeals on 26 October 2023.

Did the APC lose seats in the National Assembly? Yes, four in the Senate and 26 in the House compared with 2019.

Key takeaways

The 2023 election kept the APC in power but showed a narrower mandate, lower turnout and a more competitive field. It also set the stage for the party’s push to consolidate states and manage a crowded contest in 2027.

Sources checked

• Wikipedia, 2023 Nigerian general election (compiling INEC figures)
• ICIR, Supreme Court judgment, 26 October 2023
• Kolaking, early 2023 governorship results
• BusinessDay, APC governors rise to 31, 9 March 2026
• Channels TV, APC presidential primary result, 24 May 2026