Adelabu rejects Oyo APC consensus, says Tinubu hasn’t endorsed any candidate

FORMER Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, has pushed back against the reported endorsement of Sharafadeen Alli as the All Progressives Congress (APC) consensus governorship candidate in Oyo State.

The development followed a meeting held in Ibadan on Friday, where some APC stakeholders in the state declared the sitting senator as their preferred consensus candidate for the 2027 election.

A former Senator, Ayo Adeseun, had claimed that President Bola Tinubu was in support of Alli’s emergence, stressing that the president’s position as party leader should guide the choice of candidate.

‘I obtained Tinubu’s nod before stepping down’

Adelabu, however, disputed the claim on Saturday while addressing party members at an APC meeting in Ibadan South-East, where he appeared alongside his supporters.

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According to him, he personally sought and received the president’s consent before resigning from his ministerial role to focus on his governorship ambition.

He described assertions that Tinubu had already backed another candidate as false.

Explaining his interaction with the president, Adelabu said he deliberately postponed his resignation to secure a direct meeting with Tinubu.

He noted that during the private discussion held last week, the president encouraged him to pursue his long-standing ambition and gave him the go-ahead to resign and begin political consultations.

Adelabu added that Tinubu indicated he would explore the possibility of a consensus among party stakeholders, but also made it clear that a direct primary would be adopted if consensus fails.

He maintained that no individual had been officially endorsed by the president, dismissing contrary claims as untrue.

The former minister further argued that even if Tinubu eventually decides to back a candidate in Oyo, he would be the one to receive that support.