The race for the Agodi Government House ahead of the 2027 general elections took an explosive turn yesterday as Senator Sharafadeen Alli, representing Oyo South Senatorial District, officially clinched the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket. In a high-stakes primary election that split the party along factional lines, Alli defeated his closest rival, the immediate past Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu.
The announcement of the results at the party’s state secretariat in Ibadan was met with wild celebrations from Senator Alli’s camp, but it has simultaneously thrown the opposition party into a deep structural crisis. Within hours of the declaration, Chief Adelabu vehemently rejected the outcome, alleging widespread irregularities and calling for a total cancellation of the exercise.
The Numbers and the Tussle
The battle for the ticket had reached a boiling point over the past few weeks following a highly unpopular “consensus candidate” agreement promoted by a powerful faction of the state working committee. Senator Alli had been tipped as the establishment’s favorite, an endorsement that Adelabu and several other aspirants fiercely resisted, forcing the party to head to the polls.
However, the actual voting process on Wednesday quickly deteriorated into a logistical and political battleground. According to official figures released by the APC Primary Election Committee, Senator Alli secured a landslide victory, capitalizing on his deeply entrenched grassroots networks across Ibadan’s populous local government areas and strong backroom alignments with party delegates.
Adelabu Strikes Back: “A Complete Mockery of Democracy”
Emerging from a late-night strategy meeting with his core loyalists, Chief Adelabu held a fiery press briefing where he described the primary as a orchestrated charade. The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor, who resigned his ministerial appointment just weeks ago in April 2026 to pursue his gubernatorial ambition, did not mince words.
“What we witnessed today was not an election; it was a brazen allocation of votes to satisfy a predetermined outcome,” Adelabu declared. “Our agents across the 33 local governments recorded severe infractions. There was widespread intimidation of voters, early voting before the designated time, and shocking instances where results were meticulously written down in wards where no actual voting took place.”
Adelabu announced that his legal and political teams are already compiling a comprehensive petition to be submitted to the APC National Election Appeal Committee in Abuja. He urged his massive follower base to remain calm but resolute, promising that the fight to reclaim the ticket had only just begun.
A Historic Rivalry
This latest clash is the continuation of a long-running saga for Oyo’s top seat. Adelabu, who famously adopted an “Èmi ló kàn” (It is my turn) campaign narrative drawing inspiration from President Bola Tinubu’s successful 2023 strategy, has now suffered a critical setback. Having lost previous general election bids to the incumbent Governor Seyi Makinde of the PDP, Adelabu staked his entire political career on this APC return, only to be outmaneuvered by a seasoned legislative operator.
As Senator Alli steps forward as the flagbearer, the ultimate challenge for the Oyo APC will be managing the fallout of this primary. Without an immediate, genuine reconciliation, a deeply fractured party risks handing an easy ride to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the upcoming general elections.
