A former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has dismissed the endorsement of Sharafadeen Alli as the consensus governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, insisting that President Bola Tinubu has not backed any aspirant.
The rebuttal follows Friday’s meeting of APC leaders in Ibadan, where Alli, a serving senator, was announced as the party’s preferred candidate for the 2027 governorship race.
Former senator Ayo Adeseun had claimed the move enjoyed presidential support, stating, “Mr. President remains the leader of our party, and his opinion on who flies the party’s flag must be given due consideration.”
However, speaking at an APC meeting in Ibadan South-East on Saturday, Adelabu rejected the claim and accused those linking the president to the endorsement of spreading falsehood.
“Before I resigned, I said, I need to see the person who appointed me for a face-to-face conversation. That was why I delayed my resignation to have time to see him (Tinubu),” Adelabu said.
“He called some stakeholders in Oyo so that when I see him, he will know what to tell me. I met him last week in a closed-door meeting. I can’t tell lies against the president publicly.
“He told me that ‘Bayo, it is time. We have been on this ambition for a very long time. It is a long-time ambition of yours. As much as I want you to be around me, I won’t hinder your ambition. Go and resign to start work’.”
Adelabu said the president indicated openness to a consensus arrangement but did not single out any candidate.
“By the grace of God, that is what he told me. He said he will look at it and reach out to two or three persons to see whether a consensus arrangement is possible, and that if it is not possible, we will go through the route of direct primary. That is what the president told me.
“Anybody saying he had a meeting with the president and that he endorsed someone is telling lies. They are telling lies.
“The president has not called anybody to endorse any candidate in Oyo.”
The former minister further maintained that if the president eventually decides to back a candidate in the state, he would be the preferred choice.