2027: Oyo APC denies picking consensus guber candidate

…urges public to ignore reports

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has faulted media reports claiming that the party had picked its gubernatorial candidate for next year’s general election, describing the publication as speculative, false, and unnecessary.

A national newspaper and some online media outlets reported on Tuesday that certain individuals had been handpicked as consensus gubernatorial candidates of the APC in Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo states, even though the reports did not provide details of the personalities involved or the rationale behind the purported selection.

In a statement issued on Wednesday and made available to journalists in Ibadan by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, the Oyo APC appealed for calm among members and supporters, assuring that “constitutional and democratic procedures would be strictly followed at the appropriate time for all its 2027 election candidates to emerge.”

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The party said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we have no knowledge of any individual’s ambition as far as the 2027 elections are concerned. Our party has not started receiving letters of intent from willing contestants because it is not yet time. We are a party that conducts its activities in strict adherence to the rule of law, as specified by the nation’s Constitution, the Electoral Act, as well as the Constitution of our great party. 

“We do not put the cart before the horse because we understand the terrain, and we shall not do anything capable of undermining democracy in the land.

“Therefore, we urge members of our great party and the general public to disregard the publication in its entirety. The story was the making of its author(s), as it did not emanate from us. 

“INEC has released its guidelines for the 2027 polls, and we are being guided by them. The task before us at the moment is the successful completion of the party’s congresses as we prepare for the national convention coming up this weekend in Abuja.

“The only decision already made is the endorsement of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as our sole presidential candidate, and there is no going back on that. 

“However, all eligible and competent members of our great party who intend to vie for political office in 2027 will be given an equal chance to pursue their ambition, while we assure the citizenry that our candidates will be those who can serve their best interests and deliver on their campaign promises.”