Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
In a dramatic political twist that has thrown the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) into a full-blown crisis, the party has reportedly disqualified former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, from contesting the governorship primary scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026. According to multiple reports, the decision was made by the party's screening committee, which allegedly excluded Adelabu from the list of cleared aspirants, while clearing Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the anointed candidate, to proceed. The alleged disqualification has sent shockwaves through the political landscape, coming just hours after Adelabu declared his intention to vie for the party's ticket, and less than three days before the primary election.
A former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Adelabu, who resigned his ministerial position in April 2026 to pursue his governorship ambition, was reportedly disqualified by the screening committee. A senior party source disclosed to Thepapers that Adelabu "could not meet the standards set by the screening committee," a decision party insiders said was taken to avoid litigation after the 2027 election. The source added that the list of disqualified aspirants would be released soon, and that disqualified aspirants have the right to appeal the decision before the primary.
The alleged disqualification is widely seen as a calculated move to clear the path for Senator Sharafadeen Alli, the incumbent senator representing Oyo South, who has been positioned as the party's consensus candidate. Alli was formally adopted by a faction of the party's leadership in May 2026, following what they described as direct endorsement by President Bola Tinubu. However, Adelabu, who has consistently rejected the consensus arrangement, has maintained that President Tinubu has not endorsed any candidate, and the purported adoption is a ploy by some leaders to impose their will on the party. In a sharp rebuttal, his aide, Comrade Femi Awogboro, dismissed the disqualification reports as "misleading" and the work of political opponents seeking to create confusion. Awogboro insisted that Adelabu remains fully in the contest and has not been stopped from taking part in the exercise scheduled for the state. "The information being shared about disqualification did not come from any official source of the party," Awogboro added, calling on party members and supporters to ignore the claim.
The crisis in Oyo APC is, however, not solely about the governorship ticket. Last Friday, May 16, the conduct of the House of Representatives primaries had already sparked outrage among several aspirants. In a press conference held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre, Ibadan, five governorship aspirants—including former deputy governor Rauf Olaniyan, Prince Musbau Asanike, Akeem Agbaje, Dr. Ololade Usman Bakare, and Oyedele Hakeem Alao—accused the party leadership of manipulating the exercise. They alleged that the primaries were characterized by intimidation, exclusion of party members, arbitrary disqualification of aspirants, and fabrication of results. In a communiqué, the aspirants warned that the party is drifting into deeper internal division at a time it should be preparing strongly for the 2027 general election. "A party that alienates its own members, disregards internal democracy and substitutes consensus with imposition cannot present a united front to the electorate," they stated.
The alleged disqualification of Adelabu and the endorsement of Alli are the latest episodes in a protracted power struggle within the Oyo APC. The party has been sharply divided over who should fly its flag in the 2027 gubernatorial election, with leaders of the party rallying behind Alli while Adelabu and a faction of his loyalists insist on a direct primary. Adelabu, who has a strong political base and name recognition as a technocrat, had previously contested the governorship in 2019 under the APC and in 2023 under the Accord Party. After defecting to the Accord Party, he returned to the APC and was appointed Minister of Power by President Tinubu, a move that was seen as a strategic step to reestablish his political relevance. But upon his resignation to vie for governor, the party's leadership moved quickly to consolidate support behind Alli.
Political analysts have noted that the imposition of a consensus candidate could spell doom for the party if not properly managed. The APC has historically performed poorly in Oyo State, and a divided house is likely to translate into yet another defeat by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and incumbent Governor Seyi Makinde. With Makinde expected to complete his second term in 2027, the race for the governorship is wide open. But if the APC goes into the election with a fractured structure, it may be handing over victory to the PDP on a platter. The five aspirants who spoke with journalists on Tuesday, May 19, appealed to President Tinubu to intervene and direct the party's leadership to uphold democratic principles and ensure a level playing field for all aspirants. "Whoever he picks after due consultation and consideration with leaders and stakeholders across the state will be our resolve," they said.
As the clock ticks toward the primary election, the pressure is now on the party's National Working Committee (NWC) to release the official list of cleared aspirants. If Adelabu is indeed disqualified, it could trigger an avalanche of protests and legal challenges that could derail the party's preparations. Already, the minister's supporters staged a protest at the APC secretariat in Ibadan last week, demanding direct primaries. On the other hand, if Adelabu is cleared, it would mean a fierce battle with Alli, with the party's structure thrown into uncertainty. For now, the political atmosphere in Ibadan remains tense, with all eyes fixed on the APC's secretariat for the final verdict.
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