The appearance of a claimed list of “consensus” candidates for upcoming elections has caused increasing strain within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.
The contentious list, which came to light over the weekend, purportedly included the names of candidates chosen for Senate, House of Representatives, governorship, and deputy governorship.
Sharafadeen Alli, a senator from the Oyo South Senatorial District, was listed as the party’s nominee for governor.
Alli, a native of Ibadan, was previously the Oyo State Government’s secretary.
Mr. Soji Adedeji, who is reportedly from Ogbomoso and the younger brother of Federal Inland Revenue Service Chairman Zacchaeus Adedeji, is also named as a contender for deputy governor.
According to reports, the list also showed that Aderemi Oseni, a member of the House of Representatives, was designated for the Oyo South Senatorial District.
Additionally, Yunus Akintunde was named to run again for the Oyo Central Senatorial seat, and Mrs. Hannah Ogunrsan, a former Head of Service under former Governor Abiola Ajimobi, was listed for Oyo North.
According to reports, a number of names encompassing constituencies in the Ibadan, Ogbomoso, Oyo, Ibarapa, and Oke-Ogun zones were listed for the House of Representatives.
However, research showed that a large number of candidates who had apparently made significant financial investments in their political aspirations were unhappy with the list.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, some disgruntled party members called the move “unsettling” and cautioned that it would further rifts inside the party.
They maintained that internal democracy and justice are compromised if the purported imposition of candidates is real.
Olawale Sadare, the APC’s Oyo State Publicity Secretary, responded to the incident by calling the list false and deceptive.
He revealed that the party had already started looking into who was responsible for its dissemination.
“It’s not real. In reality, our great party’s leadership has started looking into the minds behind the dissemination of a new list of alleged Oyo APC candidates that was discovered on social media a few hours ago,” he stated.
Sadare emphasized that the electioneering process has not yet started and reassured party members that there is currently no formal list of candidates.
“We can reassure our throngs of fans and members that the list is not only fraudulent but also misleading and inflammatory. Since it is not yet time for the party primary, nomination, or statement of interest, we do not currently have a list of candidates or aspirants for 2027,” he continued.
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