Six governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo state have rejected what they called an attempt to impose a candidate ahead of the party’s 2027 primaries, escalating a feud that has already split leaders over Sharafadeen Alli’s endorsement. In a communiqué issued after their meeting in Ibadan on Tuesday, the aspirants demanded a transparent selection process and warned that any flagbearer must emerge without money politics or manipulation.
The aspirants — Rauf Olaniyan, Adewale Kareem, Musbau Asanike, Akeem Agbaje, Oyedele Alao and Ololade Bakare — said the party must not force a consensus arrangement on them. They said they were not opposed to consensus in principle, but insisted it must never be used as a cover for exclusion. “Whoever emerges as our flagbearer for the 2027 governorship election shall receive our full, collective, and heartfelt support,” they said, “but we declare with one voice that such a candidate must not be imposed upon us.”
The dispute grew after some APC leaders on May 1 endorsed Alli as the party’s consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 elections at a meeting in the Samonda area of Ibadan, the Oyo state capital. Those present included Ayo Adeseun, Fatai Ibikunle, Akin Oke and Akin Olajide. On May 3, Adebayo Adelabu rejected the endorsement and dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu had endorsed a governorship candidate in Oyo as pure lies, deepening the scramble around the party’s next choice.
The latest pushback came as the aspirants said the process must be “transparent, free, fair, and clean; worthy of a party that claims to stand for the people.” They condemned the flaunting of cash and every form of inducement in the selection process and said they had not forgotten the bitter lessons of 2019 and 2023 in Oyo state. Dr. Bamidele Atiba said the state APC chairman should avoid actions capable of deepening divisions and jeopardising the party’s chances, while describing the Abuja meeting convened by Oyo APC chairman Moses Adeyemo on May 8 as “a show of shame.”
The row now leaves the party trying to balance the appeal of consensus with the risk of revolt from aspirants who say they will not accept a done deal. The stakes are plain: the aspirants warned that forcing a consensus could trigger legal battles and leave the APC without a governorship candidate, even as Alli says he is ready for primaries and expects to win either by direct ballot or affirmation. “I am prepared for the conduct of party primaries for the selection of governorship and other candidates for elective offices,” he said. “With the support of the chieftains and other members of the party at the state, local government and ward levels, I am going to clinch the party ticket either through the conduct of primaries or affirmation proces.”
