KEY POINTS

• Six Oyo APC governorship aspirants rejected alleged plans to impose a consensus candidate ahead of the 2027 governorship primaries.
• The aspirants condemned money politics and warned that unfair candidate selection could repeat the party’s past election failures.
• They called for transparent primaries, reconciliation among party members and unity to help the APC reclaim Oyo State in 2027.

Six governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State APC  have openly rejected what they described as attempts to impose a consensus candidate ahead of the party’s governorship primary for the 2027 elections.

The aspirants — Rauf Olaniyan, Adewale Kareem, Musbau Asanike, Akeem Agbaje, Oyedele Alao and Ololade Bakare — insisted that the party must allow an open, transparent and credible process to determine its governorship flagbearer.

The politicians made their position known in a communiqué issued after a strategic meeting held in Ibadan on Tuesday, where they discussed the future of the party and lessons from past electoral defeats in the state.

Controversy Over Sharafadeen Alli’s Endorsement

The crisis followed the endorsement of Sharafadeen Alli by some influential APC stakeholders as the party’s preferred governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

The endorsement reportedly took place during a meeting in the Samonda area of Ibadan on May 1 and was attended by prominent party figures, including Ayo Adeseun, Fatai Ibikunle, Akin Oke and Akin Olajide.

At the meeting, Adeseun allegedly claimed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu supported Alli’s candidacy.

However, the claim quickly generated controversy within the party. Just days later, Adebayo Adelabu dismissed the alleged endorsement, describing reports that President Tinubu had anointed any governorship aspirant in Oyo as false and misleading.

In their communiqué, the six aspirants stressed that while they were not opposed to consensus arrangements, such agreements must emerge through consultation, fairness and mutual agreement — not manipulation or exclusion.

The aspirants declared that whoever eventually emerges as the APC governorship candidate would receive their collective support, but warned that they would resist any attempt to impose a candidate on party members.

According to them, imposing candidates undermines democratic principles and threatens party unity.