A fresh uncertainty has emerged within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 governorship election, as a former governorship aspirant, Abayomi Hunye, declared that he remains in the race.
This development comes after the party adopted the senator representing Ogun West, Solomon Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as its candidate.
Hunye, a former Managing Director of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority (OGWAMA), made the declaration on Saturday at a press conference in Abeokuta, where he also unveiled Otunba Abayomi Odunowo as his running mate.
He had obtained the APC governorship nomination form despite the party’s consensus arrangement.
On April 13, Governor Dapo Abiodun, former governors and other leaders of the party adopted Adeola as the APC’s consensus candidate at a strategic caucus meeting held at the party secretariat in Abeokuta.
Hunye, who hails from Ogun West Senatorial District, was the only governorship aspirant absent from the meeting.
His decision to proceed with his ambition became a major source of controversy within the party, particularly after the N50 million nomination form was obtained on his behalf by a third party in Abuja.
At the subsequent governorship primary held in May, Adeola was declared winner after reportedly securing 304,055 votes out of the 305,287 accredited voters.
Hunye was recorded as having polled zero votes.
Dissatisfied with the outcome, Hunye instituted legal action against the APC and Adeola, seeking to invalidate the primary on allegations of irregularities and the disenfranchisement of his supporters.
However, speaking on Saturday, Hunye rejected reports that he had withdrawn from the contest or that the dispute had been resolved.
“They said they have made some appeals to me and I have stepped down. Some said it has been settled. I want to tell everybody in Ogun that that’s a big lie,” he said.
“I am still in the race. We are in court. And I am believing God that at the end of the day, victory is His.”
Hunye said his decision to publicly continue his campaign was partly informed by provisions of the amended electoral law, which he interpreted as requiring an aspirant challenging an electoral process to participate in subsequent stages of that process.
According to him, the primary election constituted the first stage, while the campaign period would represent another phase that should not be ignored by anyone seeking judicial relief.
He argued that failure to participate in the campaign process could potentially be used against an aspirant in court.
“The first process was the primary and the second process starting on the 9th of September is the campaign,” he said.
“So if you are sure that you are actually a candidate or in turn you have gone to court, you must also participate in the next phase of the election process.”
Hunye also explained that his choice of a running mate was strategic, saying he did not want to be left without a deputy candidate should the legal battle eventually favour him.
He alleged that political actors had already selected candidates for various positions and warned that refusing to nominate his own running mate could leave him vulnerable to an imposed choice.
“As of today now, all the assembly has been picked. They also picked a deputy governor. If I refuse to pick my deputy governor, I will be compelled to adopt theirs, which is more dangerous than even contesting at all,” he said.
Hunye subsequently announced Odunowo as his running mate, saying the decision was necessary to strengthen his position ahead of the next phase of the electoral process.
The former OGWAMA boss maintained that his ambition was not borne out of opposition to Adeola personally, insisting that he would have supported the senator if the governorship slot had been zoned to Ogun East.
“If it were to be the turn of Ogun East, I would have supported him in the same way,” Hunye said.
He expressed confidence in the judiciary and said he was relying on the support of Ogun residents as he continues to pursue his ambition.
COURTESY: PoliticsNjgeria
