2007: No Plan To Join APM – Adelabu Declares

Former Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu has debunked reports linking him to the Allied People’s Movement (APM), saying he remains committed to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The ex-minister made this known in a statement signed by his Media Aide, Comrade Femi Awogboro in Ibadan.

“The rumour that Chief Adebayo Adelabu is preparing to leave the APC, or that his Personal Assistant, Mr. Ajiboye Akande, has defected to the APM, is nothing but a lie from the pit of hell,” he said.

Adelabu’s camp spoke while reacting to insinuations arising following a meeting between Akande and some APM members.

Rumours circulated that the meeting, reportedly initiated by the ex-minister’s camp, was to pave way for Akande and his principal, Adelabu, to join the APM.

According to the statement, Adelabu noted that neither he nor his personal assistant has any intention of dumping the APC for the APM.

“Personal visits by former associates cannot be misconstrued as political defection. Ajiboye Akande has neither joined the APM nor indicated any intention to do so,” the statement reads.

Awogboro added that although Akande commands a significant section of Chief Adelabu’s political support base, especially among youths, artisans and market women, he remains loyal to his principal and would not take any major political decision unilaterally.

“Chief Adebayo Adelabu remains a loyal member of the APC. He is not a desperate politician, and his governorship aspiration is not a do-or-die affair. His aspiration is simply an opportunity to serve a larger segment of his people after a distinguished career in both the private and public sectors,” the statement further reads.

The media aide stressed that demanding fairness, transparency and due process within the APC does not amount to disloyalty or an invitation to defect.

“Chief Adelabu has served as a Minister under an APC administration and previously flew the party’s flag as its 2019 gubernatorial candidate. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Leader of the APC and his political mentor, remains a major influence in his political journey,” he said.

He urged the public to disregard what he described as “a false, mischievous and politically contrived rumour,” insisting that neither Ajiboye Akande nor Chief Adebayo Adelabu is joining the APM.