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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Deputy Governorship Aspirant in Oyo State, Niyi Mogaji, has said the party’s internal dispute over its governorship ticket will not stop his camp from campaigning ahead of the 2027 election.
Mogaji, who spoke during an interview with ARISE News on Friday, said the dispute should be resolved through justice, fairness and respect for the outcome of the party’s primary.
He maintained that members who participated in the primary had exercised their right to choose a candidate and that their decision should be respected.
“The ground for reconciliation is justice. And it’s fairness. And it’s equity. You can’t come and want to produce your way into a room that is not yours,” he said.
The ADC has been divided over competing claims to its Oyo governorship ticket, with rival camps laying claim to the party’s candidacy following separate primary exercises and different names submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Mogaji said reconciliation would only be possible if those challenging his camp’s primary accepted the outcome and respected the decision of party members.
“You need to recognise the fact that you didn’t win that election. Then you need to recognise the fact that you cannot impose a candidate on us in your state,” he said.
According to him, his camp is not working against the ADC but is seeking to protect the party’s internal democratic process.
“The party members have decided. And the wish of the party members have to be obeyed and respected. We are not against ADC, for ADC and for Atikwa Mbaka,” Mogaji said.
He disclosed that his camp had already commenced its campaign and would continue with its activities while awaiting a resolution of the dispute through the courts.
“We have flagged up our campaign. And we shall proceed to it,” he said.
The dispute centres on competing primary exercises in Oyo State. Mogaji said his camp’s primary was conducted on May 22 and that the committee responsible for the exercise publicly announced the result.
“It shows that our primary was conducted on the 22nd of May. And the NDSS was there. And I was publicly announced by the committee that was supposed to conduct the primaries,” he said.
He added that efforts had been made to resolve the disagreement internally, including meetings with party leaders, but that no agreement had been reached.
“I sat with Arebe over five times. And he has made up his mind,” Mogaji said.
The deputy governorship aspirant also linked his position to existing court decisions concerning the ADC’s structure in Oyo State.
“Personally we are not against David Mack leadership. Or Arebe Solas leadership. But in our state there has been a judgment affirming a faction. And that faction we conducted the primaries. In line with the constitution of the party. And we won,” he said.
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Mogaji urged the ADC leadership to comply with court decisions while the dispute remains before the judiciary.
“Now we expect the party to please obey the judgment of the courts,” he said.
He argued that any primary conducted in defiance of a court order should not be recognised.
“If you are conducting the primary in contravention of the decision of the courts. To me that primary cannot stand,” he said.
Beyond the governorship ticket dispute, Mogaji outlined his camp’s proposed priorities for Oyo State, including job creation, agriculture, security, infrastructure and economic development.
He called for an end to what he described as indiscriminate demolition of houses and advocated greater functionality for local governments.
“We need to stop demolition of houses. We need to allow local government to function. We need to ensure that we create jobs for the youth,” he said.
Mogaji said agriculture would be developed as a major contributor to the state economy by encouraging farmers to process their produce before exporting it.
“We are going to make sure we have a great board. That is going to make sure that farmers produce. And process it to semi-finished goods and export it,” he said.
On unemployment, he proposed the creation of an industrial corridor to attract businesses and generate employment opportunities across Oyo State.
“We are going to ensure that there is an industrial corridor. So that we are able to create employment. Without the issue of unemployment squarely in Oyo State,” he said.
Mogaji also identified insecurity as a major challenge, particularly in areas he described as ungoverned spaces.
“Oyo State has a lot of ungoverned spaces,” he said, proposing the use of drones and other technology to monitor such areas and provide intelligence to security agencies.
“So we believe in drones and other technology. To go from those ungoverned spaces. And to give the government intelligence,” he said.
Despite the unresolved dispute within the ADC, Mogaji expressed confidence in his camp’s prospects in the 2027 governorship election.
“And we are sure of winning the election. Once we receive personal judgment. It doesn’t matter that it’s a crisis,” he said.
