Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State have called on President Bola Tinubu and the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to intervene in what they describe as the imposition of a candidate ahead of the 16 August by-election.
At a press conference in Ibadan, the group—operating under the United Ibadan North Federal Constituency Aspirants Forum – accused the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, of allegedly forcing Adewale Olatunji as the party’s candidate, overriding their widely supported choice, Kahlil Mustapha.
Waheed Aderounmu, speaking on behalf of the aspirants, accused the former leadership of the APC’s National Working Committee of colluding with Minister Adelabu to impose their preferred candidate without holding a primary election —a move they called unlawful and against party guidelines.
According to him:
“The National Working Committee (NWC), under former acting chairman Ali Bukar Dalori, and the Minister of Power have created a crisis in Oyo State by imposing Adewale Olatunji Murphy without conducting a primary election in line with relevant laws and party guidelines. This imposition is unacceptable and undermines the party’s credibility.”
He added:
“We have elected Hon. Khalil Mustapha Repete as our consensus candidate through a unanimous process and believe he is the best candidate to represent the people of Ibadan North Federal Constituency.”
The group stressed that all aspirants deserve a fair and level playing field, just as President Bola Tinubu himself underwent party primaries. They issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the national leadership to intervene and resolve the issue.
In his words:
“The people of Ibadan North Federal Constituency deserve a fair and transparent process. We are confident that Hon. Khalil Mustapha Repete is the best candidate to represent them. We give the national leadership 48 hours to act. If they fail, the consequences should rest squarely on the NWC, Minister Adelabu, and relevant state stakeholders.”
They further stated:
“We reject imposition in politics and believe all candidates should have a fair chance, just as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did during the primaries.”
The forum warned that if the APC loses the by-election, the blame should fall on the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
“If the party faces a crisis and the APC fails to win, Adebayo Adelabu and the former NWC led by Ali Bukar Dalori should be held responsible,”* they declared.
The aspirants revealed they had initially planned a solidarity rally but opted for a press conference instead to ensure their grievances reached the presidency and to prevent further division within the party.
They urged the APC’s national leadership to act immediately to ensure a fair and transparent process and thanked peace advocates for their intervention.
“We commend those working to save our party from further division and crisis. Their intervention is commendable, and we hope it yields the desired outcome,” the group concluded.
They also accused the minister of repeating the same undemocratic practices that led to his defection from the APC in 2023, when he claimed internal party democracy was not being respected.