Former Minister of Power and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Oyo State, Adebayo Adelabu, has rejected any link between him and the defection of his former aide, Ajiboye Akande, to the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), insisting that he remains a committed member of the APC.
Adelabu’s clarification followed Monday’s political rally at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Adamasingba, Ibadan, where Akande, popularly known as Boye Nation, led supporters into the APM.
Reports from the event described the group as part of Adelabu’s former political structure, although Akande himself said his decision was independent of the former minister.
In a statement issued by his media office in Ibadan on Tuesday, Adelabu said Akande was no longer his personal assistant and had ceased to have any official, political or representational relationship with him.
He attributed the end of their working relationship to irreconcilable differences in their political alignments, particularly after Akande chose to pursue a political direction different from his.
Adelabu therefore said Akande’s defection, the rally, his statements and other political activities should be regarded as strictly personal and should not be attributed to him.
The former minister said he remained in the APC despite his disagreement with aspects of the party’s governorship nomination process in Oyo State.
“I remain a member of the APC and have no intention of leaving the party. My disagreement with aspects of the Oyo governorship nomination process is about the process and the need for transparency and legitimacy, and not an excuse to abandon the party.”
Adelabu added that he would not abandon President Bola Tinubu, whom he described as his political mentor and benefactor, or the APC, which he said had provided him with an opportunity to serve.
His position comes weeks after he criticised the conduct of the APC’s Oyo governorship primary, particularly the failure to make verifiable results from the exercise publicly available.
Adelabu subsequently said he would not appeal the outcome or pursue legal action, while maintaining that his concerns about transparency remained.
According to him, his support for Tinubu was based not only on personal loyalty but also on his belief in due process and the legitimacy of the president’s emergence through a properly conducted and documented primary process.
He said the same principles should apply to the APC’s nomination exercise in Oyo State.
“Let the results of the exercise be properly released, supported by the relevant signed documents and other verifiable evidence. That, in my view, is the proper foundation for acceptance and collective support,” Adelabu said.
He also sought to play down the possibility that his political disagreement with the APC over the primary would lead him to defect to another party.
“My governorship ambition has never been a do-or-die affair. My interest has always been about the opportunity to serve Oyo,” he said.
Adelabu said he was financially independent of political office, noting that he remained engaged in real estate, hospitality, farming and financial securities businesses since leaving public office.
“I therefore have no need to jump from one political party to another simply to remain relevant,” he added.
Akande’s defection had attracted political attention in Oyo State after he and his supporters were formally received into the APM during the Boye Nation/JAF Movement Mega Concert on Monday.
The event, themed “Young, United, Unstoppable,” combined political mobilisation with entertainment and featured APM leaders and supporters from across the state.
However, Adelabu insisted that he neither defected from the APC nor authorised anybody to defect on his behalf.
“The political activities of Akande are his personal decision and have no connection whatsoever with me,” he said.
Akande, speaking at the Monday event, similarly said his move to the APM was an independent decision.
He described himself as a former personal assistant to Adelabu and said his political choice had nothing to do with his former principal.
