4 Aggrieved Oyo APC Gov’ship Aspirants Reconcile With Alli

All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State four aggrieved governorship aspirants have reconciled with the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli.

The aspirants are former deputy governor of Oyo State, Engr. Rauf Aderemi Olaniyan; Engr. Oyedele Hakeem Alao; Prince Musbau Asatola Asanike and Dr Ololade Usman Bakare.

The reconciliation followed a series of engagements by the APC Governorship Aspirants’ Reconciliation Committee, which was established to address grievances arising from the party’s governorship primary.

The chairman of the committee, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, announced the development at a press conference in Ibadan, yesterday.

Lanlehin said some of the 11 aspirants who participated in the primary had expressed reservations about the process and its outcome, but added that the need to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 elections had made reconciliation imperative.

According to him, the committee listened to the concerns of the aspirants and discovered that the party had more issues uniting its members than those dividing them.

He said the four aspirants had agreed to move beyond the primary contest and work with Alli for the success of the APC in the 2027 general elections.

“Today, we are pleased to announce that four distinguished governorship aspirants have agreed to put the contest behind them and work with Senator Sharafadeen Alli in the interest of the party and our victory in the 2027 General Election,” Lanlehin said.

He described the reconciliation as a victory for “collective interest over individual ambition, reconciliation over division and unity over factionalism.”

Lanlehin stressed that the APC would need a united political structure to defeat its opponents in the governorship election, noting that victory could not be achieved by relying only on those who supported the eventual candidate during the primary.

“No candidate can win a general election by relying only on those who supported him in the primary. A governorship election is won by a united political family,” he said.

In a communique issued after the reconciliation meetings, the four aspirants pledged their “unwavering and unflinching support” for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Alli and other APC candidates contesting the 2027 elections.

They also pledged to cooperate with the party and its campaign structures towards securing victory for the APC at the polls.

The reconciliation committee disclosed that its engagement with the APC “G6” governorship aspirants had been concluded, with the exception of Barrister Akeem Agbaje.

The aspirants expressed their intention to meet with President Tinubu at a mutually convenient time to reaffirm their support for his 2027 presidential bid.

The development is expected to strengthen the APC’s internal cohesion in Oyo State as the party begins preparations for the 2027 elections, particularly its efforts to present a united front ahead of the governorship contest.