Trouble is brewing in the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress. Six of the party's 11 governorship hopefuls have rejected Senator Sharafadeen Alli's selection as the APC's candidate for the 2027 election.
The dissenting aspirants argue that the selection process breached the Electoral Act and the party's own rules. They insist no valid candidate has been produced yet.
The six objecting aspirants are Engr. Hakeem Alao, Engr.
Rauf Olaniyan, Dr Ayobami Lam-Adesina, Barr. Akeem Agbaje, Mr Ololade Bakare and Barr.
Musibau Asanike. They made their stance known after meeting with the party's reconciliation committee.
Senator Olufemi Lanlehin and Professor Taoheed Adedoja chair the committee, which was set up to address complaints from the selection process. Speaking for the group, Engr.
Alao rejected claims that the APC has settled on a candidate.
"We have presented our grievances to the reconciliation committee and made our position clear," he said. "As far as we are concerned, the APC does not have a governorship candidate at this moment because the provisions of the Electoral Act have not been fulfilled."
Alao added that the committee will weigh their submissions carefully. He stressed that members remain committed to the party and will back whoever emerges through a lawful process.
"Whoever emerges through a lawful and transparent process will have our support," he told reporters. "However, as things stand today, the APC has no governorship candidate in Oyo State."
The escalating tension exposes cracks in the opposition party ahead of 2027 and raises fresh doubts about internal unity and electoral compliance. Eleven aspirants vied in the APC contest, including Chief Adebayo Adelabu, Dr Adewale Kareem, Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari and the disputed nominee, Alli.
Though the APC recently announced Alli as its preferred candidate, the six aspirants' objections are likely to trigger more negotiations. The party now faces pressure to resolve the dispute and present a united front before the 2027 race.
