Alli’s Governorship Candidacy Lacks Official Backing, Says Adelabu

Immediate past minister of Power and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has declared that Senator Sharafadeen Alli’s rumoured candidacy is a self-proclamation and lacks official backing.

Adelabu’s media aide, Comrade Femi Awogboro, in a statement yesterday, said his principal had consistently maintained only one position throughout the process that the provisions of the Electoral Act, the Constitution of the APC, and the party’s established guidelines governing primary elections must be strictly followed and respected by all concerned.

According to him, as things stand, no official declaration of the governorship primary election results had been made by the appropriate organ of the party. At the same time, the votes purportedly scored by the various aspirants have also not been officially released.

He added that any claim of victory before the completion of the party’s constitutional processes amounts to self-proclamation and has no official backing.

Awogboro dismissed as entirely false and malicious reports alleging that his principal had instituted a legal action challenging the outcome of the party’s governorship primary election.

He described the media reports as a deliberate fabrication designed to mislead members of the APC, create unnecessary tension within the party, and distract from the ongoing internal processes leading to the eventual emergence of the party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

“Chief Adelabu has neither filed any lawsuit against the APC nor any governorship aspirant nor submitted any petition to the party’s National Headquarters regarding the primary election.

“The report is completely false, baseless and should be disregarded by all well-meaning party members and the general public. Chief Adebayo Adelabu has not sued anybody. In fact, he has not even written a single petition to the party over the primary election.

“The obvious question is: on what basis would anyone institute a court action or file a petition when the party has yet to officially declare the results of the governorship primary election or announce a winner?

“Chief Adelabu remains committed to due process, internal democracy and the rule of law. Asking that laid-down procedures be followed should never be misconstrued as hostility towards the party or any individual aspirant”, he added.

The media aide further stated that reports suggesting that the name of a governorship candidate may have been uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal without an official declaration of results remain speculative and, if found to be true, would raise serious concerns about adherence to due process, the Electoral Act and the APC Constitution.

“Such a development, if it ever occurred, would be unprecedented and capable of undermining confidence in the party’s internal democratic processes. However, as of today, there has been no official declaration of a winner by the party, and Chief Adelabu remains confident that the APC will act in accordance with its constitution and established procedures”, he said.

Awogboro reaffirmed Chief Adelabu’s unwavering loyalty to the APC and its Leadership, stressing that the former Minister remains committed to the party’s unity, progress, and electoral success in Oyo State and across Nigeria.