Eleven aspirants have secured the All Progressives Congress (APC) expression of interest and nomination forms for the 2027 Oyo State governorship election. Eight of the candidates are from Ibadan, one is from Ogbomoso, and two are from the Oke Ogun geopolitical zone. The aspirants include Senator Sharafadeen Alli, Mr Bayo Adelabu, Dr Adewale Kareem, Barrister Akeem Agbaje, Engineer Akeem Alao, Dr Ayobami Lam-Adesina, Prince Asanke Asatola, and Mr Ololade Usman, all from Ibadan. Senator Abdulfatai Buhari represents Ogbomoso, while Dr Muyiwa Gbadegesin and Engineer Rauf Olaniyan are the APC hopefuls from Oke Ogun. All 11 candidates have been screened by the party's national secretariat in Abuja.
Oyo State is divided into five political zones: Ibadan, Ibarapa, Ogbomoso, Oke Ogun, and Oyo. Since 1999, only one governor, the late Adebayo Alao-Akala from Ogbomoso, has come from outside Ibadan. Late Lamidi Adesina, Abiola Ajimobi, Rasidi Ladoja, and current Governor Seyi Makinde all have strong Ibadan connections, though Makinde hails from Ona Ara and votes in Ibadan North East. Makinde will complete his second term in 2027.
A party chieftain in an Ibadan local government, who also serves as a returning officer, claimed the APC has selected a consensus candidate for the ticket. The chieftain, speaking on Monday, said, "I am the party's returning officer in my local government. The party has taken a decision over the selection of the flag bearer. We have been told the consensus candidate." Meanwhile, Dr Bayonle Busari, a senior lecturer at Lead City University, Ibadan, described the large number of aspirants as a positive development. He emphasized that the focus should be on candidates' qualifications rather than their origins, noting that the group includes a former federal minister, a former Central Bank deputy governor, a former deputy governor of Oyo State, a serving senator, engineers, and financial experts.
The APC claims to have picked a consensus candidate while still allowing 11 aspirants to campaign, creating a contradiction between process and outcome. If the flagbearer has already been chosen, the screening of 11 candidates becomes a public exercise in futility. This undermines the credibility of the aspirants' qualifications, especially those from outside Ibadan who stand little chance under an uncompetitive selection. The process suggests the party values appearances over genuine internal democracy.
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