OGUN 2027: HUNYE, ADEOLA IN INTENSE CONTEST FOR APC GOVERNORSHIP TICKET

By:Tajudeen Aminat

The battle for the All Progressives Congress governorship ticket in Ogun State ahead of the 2027 election has intensified, with former governorship aspirant Abayomi Semako Hunye insisting that he remains in the race despite the party’s recognition of Senator Olamilekan Solomon Adeola as its candidate.

The latest twist came on Saturday, August 22, when Hunye, the immediate past Managing Director of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority, unveiled Abayomi Odunowo as his running mate at a press conference.

Hunye’s announcement effectively dismissed reports that he had withdrawn from the contest or reached a settlement with the party.

The development comes months after Governor Dapo Abiodun announced Adeola as the party’s consensus governorship candidate during an APC strategic caucus meeting held on April 13.

The meeting was attended by former governors Olusegun Osoba, Ibikunle Amosun and Gbenga Daniel, alongside other APC governorship aspirants, including Iyabo Obasanjo, Gboyega Isiaka, Tunde Lemo and Isiak Akinlade.

Hunye, who is also of Yewa extraction like Adeola, was absent from the meeting.

While unveiling Adeola, Abiodun said he looked forward to handing over to an APC governor from the Western part of the state and described Adeola as the candidate the party had collectively agreed upon.

However, about two weeks later, Hunye obtained the party’s N50 million governorship nomination form through a third party in Abuja, rejecting the consensus arrangement.

At the governorship primary held in May, the chairman of the electoral committee, Wale Ohu, declared Adeola the winner with 304,055 votes out of 305,287 accredited voters.

Hunye was officially recorded as having polled zero votes in the exercise conducted across the state’s 20 local government areas.

Adeola subsequently thanked Osoba and Abiodun for their roles in his emergence and pledged to build on the achievements of the current administration.

The party later announced Kudirat Adegunwa-Balogun as Adeola’s running mate.

Hunye’s campaign organisation rejected the outcome of the primary, alleging that the result did not reflect the votes cast by APC members.

In a rejoinder issued on behalf of the Abayomi Semako Hunye Campaign and Supporters’ Movement, the group claimed that figures collated from its agents across the state’s 236 wards showed that Hunye actually secured 453,765 votes, while Adeola polled 304,055.

The group argued that the result announced by the electoral committee could not be regarded as evidence of a free, fair and credible primary.

Hunye later approached the court, seeking the nullification of the primary on grounds of alleged irregularities and disenfranchisement of his supporters.

Despite the pending legal battle, Hunye has continued with his political activities, including the recent unveiling of his running mate.

He explained that his decision was informed by provisions of the amended electoral laws, which, according to him, require an aspirant challenging a primary election to continue participating in subsequent stages of the electoral process.

Hunye said he did not want to reach court only to have his case weakened by an allegation that he failed to participate in the campaign process.

The Ogun State APC has, however, maintained that Adeola remains its recognised governorship candidate for the 2027 election.

The state chairman, Yemi Sanusi, issued a disclaimer against Hunye’s claim, stating that the names of Adeola and Kudirat Adegunwa-Balogun had already been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission as the party’s governorship candidate and running mate.

Sanusi described any contrary declaration by Hunye as unauthorised and urged members of the public to rely on official communications from the party and electoral authorities.

Hunye subsequently denied declaring himself the APC candidate, saying his position was that the dispute over the party’s ticket remained before a competent court.

He argued that the issue could not be considered conclusively settled until the court delivered its judgment and the legal process was completed.

According to Hunye, the legal battle over the APC ticket is therefore still ongoing.

The dispute escalated further when the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, described Hunye as an impostor and claimed that he had been suspended from the party.

Basiru said Hunye was suspended on April 7, 2026, over alleged activities considered injurious to the party’s image, anti-party conduct and actions capable of causing division among members.

According to him, the suspension followed a petition from Hunye’s ward in Ipokia Local Government Area and was subsequently ratified by the local government and the Ogun State Working Committee.

Basiru maintained that Hunye had no authority to represent the APC or present himself as its governorship candidate.

He reaffirmed Adeola as the party’s duly nominated candidate following the primary election.

Hunye has since challenged the APC’s claim that he was suspended, saying he was never formally notified of such a decision.

He questioned how the party could have allegedly suspended him in April and subsequently sold him a governorship nomination form, screened him and cleared him to participate in the primary.

Hunye said he obtained the form at the APC national secretariat on April 28 and was screened on May 15 alongside other aspirants.

He argued that these actions contradicted the party’s later claim that he was already under suspension.

According to him, the issue of his alleged suspension could not be separated from his ongoing legal challenge to the primary election.

Hunye also insisted that he participated in the primary and questioned how he could have been allocated zero votes despite being physically present.

He further raised questions concerning Adeola’s political history and information contained in his electoral forms, saying these issues were among the matters before the court.

Despite the escalating dispute, Hunye said he would support Adeola if the court ultimately ruled against him, but would welcome all party members if judgment was delivered in his favour.

The dispute took another turn when the APC petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, seeking the investigation, arrest and prosecution of Hunye.

In the petition dated August 24 and signed by the party’s Director of Administration, Áyoola Olajolo, the APC accused Hunye of impersonating the party’s governorship candidate and misleading members of the public.

The party maintained that Adeola was the authentic APC governorship candidate for Ogun State, having emerged from the party’s May 22, 2026 primary.

It urged the police to invite Hunye for questioning and investigate alleged offences including impersonation, conduct likely to cause a breach of peace and violations of the Electoral Act.

The APC also asked the police to restrain Hunye from further presenting himself as the party’s candidate, arguing that his actions could threaten public peace and electoral stability in the state.

With Hunye continuing his legal challenge and political activities, while the APC maintains its recognition of Adeola, the battle over the party’s 2027 governorship ticket remains unresolved.