The All Progressives Congress in Oyo State is facing a deepening internal crisis ahead of the 2027 governorship election, as five governorship aspirants have formally demanded the resignation of the state party chairman, Chief Moses Adeyemo, accusing him of overstepping his constitutional authority by publicly declaring Senator Sharafadeen Alli as the party’s governorship candidate without any backing from the APC’s national leadership.

The aspirants, who contested the governorship primary election held on May 21, 2026, insist that Adeyemo’s declaration made following a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Lagos was a unilateral and illegitimate act that fundamentally undermined the integrity of the party’s internal democratic process.

According to them, no state-level official or group of leaders possesses the authority under the APC’s constitution to announce the winner of a governorship primary. That power, they argue, rests solely with the party’s national headquarters in Abuja, and any pronouncement outside that channel amounts to a brazen imposition that should not be allowed to stand.

The controversy traces its roots to months of tension within the Oyo APC. Well before the primary, a group of six governorship aspirants had already petitioned President Tinubu in a letter dated May 13, 2026, warning that attempts to impose a consensus candidate through staged endorsements and manufactured grassroots support were threatening the unity of the party.

The signatories at the time included former Deputy Governor Rauf Aderemi Olaniyan, Adewale Kolapo Kareem, Musbau Asatola Asanike, Akeem Agbaje, Oyedele Hakeem Alao, and Ololade Usman Bakare. Despite those warnings, the primary went ahead and Alli who had been the preferred candidate of a powerful faction linked to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike was subsequently declared the winner, polling a reported 91,824 votes against former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu’s 7,532.

Adelabu, who had resigned his ministerial appointment on April 30, 2026, to contest the primary, has since flatly rejected the outcome, describing the exercise as riddled with irregularities, intimidation, and manipulation across multiple geopolitical zones. In a pointed public statement, he urged party members to disregard what he called “premature victory claims designed to manipulate public perception,” insisting that no candidate had been officially declared by the APC nationally.

“At this crucial stage, no one should allow himself or herself to be misled by rumours, propaganda or premature victory claims,” Adelabu warned.

Adeyemo has shown no signs of yielding to the pressure. Following the primary, he led a delegation to Aso Rock that included Senator Alli and other party leaders, briefing President Tinubu on the outcome and presenting Alli as the party’s governorship candidate. Adeyemo told reporters that the President expressed satisfaction with proceedings and pledged his support for the APC’s 2027 campaign in the state. Alli, for his part, has framed the post-primary turbulence as a routine challenge, saying he began reconciliation consultations with fellow aspirants even before the primary took place.

The demand for Adeyemo’s resignation significantly escalates what has so far been a war of words and legal threats, pushing the Oyo APC crisis into territory that could attract the attention of the party’s national leadership. With the governorship battle shaping up as one of the most consequential contests in the South-West in 2027, a fractured APC risks ceding ground to the opposition at a time when Senator Alli’s camp insists the party is better positioned than ever to reclaim Government House in Ibadan.