Former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has ended his bid for the 2027 Oyo State governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying he chose party unity and stability over further confrontation.
Adelabu, however, made it clear that his withdrawal should not be interpreted as an acceptance of what he described as injustices and transparency concerns surrounding the party’s governorship primary.
In a statement he personally signed on Thursday, titled “APC Nomination Process in Oyo State: Closing the Contest, Not Conceding the Injustice”, the former minister said he had decided against appealing the outcome internally or seeking legal redress.
He said the decision followed extensive consultations, personal reflection and a reassessment of developments within the APC and the political journey ahead.
Adelabu explained that he had taken a brief vacation outside the country after months of what he described as intense political activities and challenges.
On his return, he said he consulted with party leaders and supporters before holding a meeting with some of them across the state on Wednesday.
According to him, the meeting examined complaints raised by aspirants, party members and other stakeholders over the nomination exercises.
He said the concerns extended beyond the governorship primary to the party’s senatorial, House of Representatives and State House of Assembly nominations.
One of the major concerns, he said, was the failure to publicly release verifiable results from the exercises.
“We agreed that the absence of publicly declared and verifiable results has understandably generated serious concerns about the transparency, credibility and integrity of the nomination process,” Adelabu said.
He added that documentary evidence, authenticated collation records and video materials were available which, in his assessment, raised serious questions about some aspects of the process and the eventual outcomes.
Despite the availability of the materials, Adelabu said he had decided not to pursue an appeal within the APC or commence legal proceedings over the primary at this stage.
He stressed that the decision was not prompted by doubts about the evidence available to him or a loss of confidence in his position.
“Neither should it be interpreted as an act of surrender or an indication that my aspiration to serve as Governor of Oyo State is a do-or-die affair,” he said.
Rather, Adelabu said, he was deliberately choosing not to escalate the dispute in ways that could worsen divisions within the party.
He said his priority was to preserve peace, strengthen the APC and protect the party’s cohesion ahead of future political engagements in Oyo State.
Adelabu seeks action on APC grievances
The former minister also called on the national leadership of the APC to address the grievances arising from the nomination exercises rather than allowing them to fester.
He said APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, acknowledged during his recent visit to Oyo State that errors, unfairness and injustice had occurred in aspects of the primary election process.
Adelabu maintained that such an acknowledgement or apology should not be regarded as sufficient where there was still an opportunity to correct identified grievances.
He therefore called for a broad reconciliation exercise involving all categories of nominations and the stakeholders affected by the process.
“We therefore urge the National Leadership of the APC to urgently initiate a comprehensive, sincere and credible reconciliation process that covers all categories of nominations and genuinely engages all affected stakeholders,” he said.
Adelabu particularly appealed to the party to reach out to members who felt betrayed, wounded or alienated by the nomination process.
He said such members needed more than verbal assurances, arguing that concrete measures were necessary to demonstrate that their contributions, sacrifices and loyalty to the party were still valued.
The former minister further appealed to his supporters, loyalists and other APC members in Oyo State to respond to the development with restraint and maturity.
He reaffirmed his allegiance to the APC, saying he had no intention of abandoning the party.
Adelabu said remaining loyal to a political party did not mean remaining silent when there were issues that required attention, arguing that loyalty also involved speaking honestly and responsibly when necessary.
On his political ambition, he reiterated that becoming governor of Oyo State had never been a matter of life and death for him.
He said he remained convinced that the timing of his political aspiration was ultimately in God’s hands, adding that “God’s time remains the best.”
Adelabu resigned as Minister of Power on April 22 to concentrate on his ambition to govern Oyo State.
He was among 13 aspirants who sought the APC governorship ticket.
The contest eventually produced Senator Sharafadeen Alli, representing Oyo South Senatorial District, as the party’s consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
