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The 2027 governorship battle in Oyo State assumed a new dimension on Tuesday as the All Progressives Congress (APC) received prominent Ibarapa politician, Dr Olusola Ayandele, and hundreds of his supporters into its fold.
The development triggered jubilation among party supporters at the APC Campaign Office, Dandaru, Mokola, Ibadan, venue of the formal reception.
Ayandele, who arrived with 60 ward chairmen and an array of political leaders from the various local government areas in Ibarapa, pledged to mobilise the zone for the victory of the APC governorship candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, and other candidates of the party.
He also promised financial support for the party’s campaign and activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Ayandele, a political heavyweight in Ibarapaland, said his return to the main fold should not be interpreted as a defection from another party, insisting that he had never left the APC.
“I never left APC. Something happened that made us stand aloof, and that was why it seemed as if we left,” he said.
He recalled that he and his supporters were among the first set of people to register as APC members in Ibarapa during the party’s membership registration exercise.
Ayandele, who described himself and his political associates as pillars of Ibarapa politics, said they had returned to work with the party leadership and Alli to secure landslide electoral victory in the zone.
“I am here with 60 ward chairmen and an array of leaders from each of the local governments that make up Ibarapa zone. We’re going to deliver bulk votes to APC in Ibarapa. We will ensure the victory of all APC candidates in Ibarapa,” he declared.
He urged the party’s leaders and members to work together for victory, pledging his financial commitment towards the APC’s campaign and electoral activities.
The APC governorship candidate, Alli, described the development as a major boost to the party’s electoral prospects in the state.
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“I am very happy today that what we have here is a boost. Dr Ayandele is not just coming to the party. What we are doing now is the formalisation of our relationship,” Alli said.
The APC candidate said he had known Ayandele for a long time, including during the latter’s years as a director in the Federal Civil Service, before he ventured into politics.
Alli also dismissed speculation that political positions had already been shared among members of his political camp ahead of the election, describing the claim as a blatant lie.
“There is a rumour going on now that we have shared all the positions. It is a blatant lie. We have not shared any position,” he said.
According to him, appointments would only be considered after electoral victory, promising an inclusive administration that would give consideration to all parts of the state as well as youth, women and people living with disabilities.
“People that have come to meet me to ask, I have been telling them that we shall share the positions after our electoral victory. We shall adopt a bottom-top approach. We shall be fair to all the zones in the state, youth, women and people living with disabilities,” he said.
Alli, who further charged APC members to take the battle to the grassroots, also promised that an APC administration in the state would establish technology hubs within its first six months in office, with the initiative to be replicated across the state.
Earlier, the APC state chairman, Chief Moses Adeyemo, a former deputy governor of the state, expressed delight over Ayandele’s return and formally welcomed him into the party.
He subsequently presented Ayandele with the APC flag and broom, symbolising his formal identification with the party.
The event was attended by the APC governorship candidate’s running mate, Soji Adedeji, Director-General of the Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation (SSACO), Prince Yemi Aderibigbe, and other leaders and supporters of the party.
