The former Minister of Power and governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Bayo Adelabu, on Thursday, disclosed that his ambition to govern the state was not a do-or-die affair, saying he would not test the law over the APC governorship primary in the state
Adelabu, in a statement released in Ibadan, the state capital, said his decision was not due to a lack of evidence, confidence or conviction, but was taken in the interest of the progress of the party in the state ahead of the 2027 elections.
He explained that the decision was based on a meeting held with some party leaders and representatives of loyalists and supporters from across the 33 Local Government Areas and 351 wards in the state.
Oyo APC governorship aspirants had been at loggerheads with both the state and national executive members of the party over the nomination of Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.
They alleged that Alli, who currently represents Oyo South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, was imposed on them.
Adelabu, speaking further in the statement, said that as a loyal and committed member of the APC, he had decided not to pursue an appeal within the party or institute legal proceedings over the process at this time.
The ex-minister said, “This decision is not because of a lack of evidence, confidence or conviction. 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.
“Rather, I have chosen, in the interest of peace, party stability and the larger future of the APC in the state, not to further escalate the matter through avenues that may deepen existing divisions and undermine the cohesion of our great party.
“More importantly, our respected National Chairman, during his recent visit to Oyo, openly acknowledged that there were errors, unfairness and injustice associated with aspects of the primary election process.
“We believe that an acknowledgement or apology, though important, cannot and should not substitute for the necessary correction where the opportunity to address the grievances still exists.”
He expressed concern that many loyal members had invested years of their lives, enormous personal resources, time, energy and political capital in building the APC.
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