- Scores of All Progressives Congress members from the Oluyole Local Government Area have staged a peaceful demonstration to demand the validation of Abiodun Gbolagade as the authentic legislative nominee.
- The state party leadership has reiterated that its definitive parliamentary candidates list remains unaltered, having already been successfully validated by the National Working Committee and uploaded to the INEC portal.
- Oyo APC Chairman Moses Adeyemo has publicly engaged the disgruntled party stakeholders, praising Gbolagade’s long-standing financial loyalty to the political family while promising an internal executive review of the local grievances.
A political disagreement has erupted within the Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) following the official publication of the party’s legislative candidate nominations for the upcoming 2027 general elections.
Eko Hot Blog reports that on Tuesday, scores of dedicated party loyalists, grassroots organizers, and major political stakeholders originating from the Oluyole Local Government Area converged on the state party secretariat located in the Oke-Ado axis of Ibadan South-West Local Government Area to express their dissatisfaction with the final list of candidates.
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The peaceful demonstrators filled the party headquarters to demand that the state executive committee formally uphold and affirm the victory of a prominent local aspirant, Hon. Abiodun Gbolagade, regarding the recently concluded primary elections for the Oluyole Federal Constituency seat.
The protesters carried placards and openly called on the state leadership to respect the democratic decisions made by local party delegates during the primary contests held in May.
Addressing newsmen directly during the secretariat demonstration, Gbolagade explained that he has remained a primary financial pillar for the party’s grassroots structures across Oluyole Local Government for over seven consecutive years.
He maintained that the legislative primary election was successfully executed in accordance with party guidelines, declaring that he secured an overwhelming majority of over 2,000 delegate votes, whereas the incumbent federal lawmaker, Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, reportedly secured only 36 votes.
Gbolagade insisted that adhering strictly to the actual results announced at the local voting centers is the only sustainable strategy to preserve internal party cohesion and protect the APC’s electoral chances across Oyo State in the 2027 general elections.
Several older party stalwarts and community leaders present at the secretariat backed his stance, complaining that the incumbent representative had allegedly isolated the foundational local party members throughout her legislative term, making Gbolagade the logical choice to guarantee a secure general election victory for the progressives.
In a swift effort to calm the rising tensions at the party base, the Oyo State APC Chairman, Chief Moses Adeyemo, personally came out to address the gathering.
Adeyemo commended Gbolagade’s impeccable character, describing him as a deeply dedicated, exceptionally loyal party pillar who has consistently paid his financial and structural dues to the APC movement over the years.
The party chairman appealed to the passionate crowd to maintain total peace, assuring them that the state working committee would carefully look into their specific procedural complaints to ensure justice and internal equity prevail.
Despite the localized protests, the state executive leadership clarified that the official candidate roster for the three senatorial districts and 14 House of Representatives slots remains entirely locked and unchanged.
In an official briefing issued by the Oyo APC Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the party confirmed that the definitive candidate lists were fully compiled, processed, and finalized by the National Working Committee in Abuja before being uploaded directly to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
Sadare expressed disappointment over social media campaigns designed to mislead the public or cause unhelpful internal crises.
The APC secretariat firmly restated that Hon. Tolulope Akande-Sadipe remains the official designated nominee for the Oluyole Federal Constituency, alongside other high-profile nominees including Senator Yunus Akintunde for Oyo Central, Hon. Aderemi Oseni for Oyo South, and Hon. Akin Alabi for the Egbeda/Ona-Ara Federal Constituency seat.
