2027: APC will resist imposition of guber candidate in Oyo — Agbaje

A three-time governorship aspirant and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Barrister Akeem Agbaje, has hinted that members of the party will resist the imposition of a governorship candidate in Oyo State ahead of the 2027 elections.

Agbaje made this known in an interview with journalists in Ibadan.

He asserted that the APC has all it takes to wrest power from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but must first put its house in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of 2019 and 2023.

He added that the APC lost its opportunity to reclaim its mandate from the ruling PDP due to the imposition of a particular candidate at the state level.

He said, “I believe that a united APC will resist the imposition of a governorship candidate on the party in Oyo State.

“We should learn from what happened in 2019 and 2023. I am aware of a particular candidate going around the state, telling anyone who cares to listen that the leadership of the party in Abuja has endorsed him as the party’s flag bearer for 2027 in Oyo State.

“This particular candidate has never identified with the people at the grassroots level. If the party proceeds with the rumoured endorsement, it should prepare itself for another round of failure.

“The people of Oyo State are tired of the PDP-led administration, but it is now left to the APC to get its act together.

“I believe a united APC will resist the imposition of a candidate. Everyone knows that imposing a candidate will not work this time around. Whoever is pushing for it is neither helping the aspirant nor the party—it is a recipe for losing the election.

“In Oyo State, voters are more sophisticated than in any other state in the federation. During federal elections, they may vote in one direction, but they tend to change position during state elections. This happened in both 2019 and 2023.

“It is the people who elect the governor, not the party. The party leadership must always bear this in mind.”

On the issue of insecurity, Agbaje commended Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, saying he has done creditably well, as insecurity has drastically reduced in the state.

“Let me commend him (Makinde) on the issue of security. As far as I’m concerned, he is doing very well. Apart from normal localised crimes, there are no major security threats in the state,” he added.

Speaking on the frequent fire incidents in the state, Agbaje called for the expansion of markets, saying both old and new ones are congested.

“All the markets are overcrowded. Every market in the state is full, which is why fire incidents occur frequently. There is an urgent need for proper expansion.

“When these markets were first established, especially Aleshinloye and others, people were reluctant to move there. Only a small number of traders went initially, but now the markets are congested.

“Gate Market is congested, and both the old and new Gbagi markets are overcrowded. The government must create an enabling environment that allows people to do business. There is an urgent need to expand these markets.”

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