Four aggrieved governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC)in Oyo State have reconciled with the party’s candidate, Senator Sharafadeen Alli, following disagreements arising from the governorship primary.
NEWSNGR reports that the aspirants are a former deputy governor of the state, Rauf Aderemi Olaniyan; Oyedele Hakeem Alao; Musbau Asatola Asanike; and Ololade Usman Bakare.
Their reconciliation followed a series of meetings convened by the APC Governorship Aspirants’ Reconciliation Committee to resolve grievances among contestants and strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, announced the development at a press conference in Ibadan.
Lanlehin said some of the 11 aspirants who contested the APC governorship primary had raised concerns about the conduct and outcome of the exercise.
According to him, the reconciliation committee engaged the aggrieved aspirants and found that issues capable of uniting party members outweighed their differences.
He said the four aspirants had consequently agreed to put the primary behind them and support Alli’s governorship campaign.
“Today, we are pleased to announce that four distinguished governorship aspirants have agreed to put the contest behind them and work with Senator Sharafadeen Alli in the interest of the party and our victory in the 2027 General Election,” Lanlehin said.
He described the development as a triumph of “collective interest over individual ambition, reconciliation over division and unity over factionalism.”
Lanlehin stressed that the party could not afford to approach the governorship election divided, arguing that Alli would require the support of all tendencies within the APC to win.
“No candidate can win a general election by relying only on those who supported him in the primary. A governorship election is won by a united political family,” he said.
A communique issued after the reconciliation meetings said the four former aspirants had pledged their “unwavering and unflinching support” for President Bola Tinubu, Alli and other APC candidates in the 2027 elections.
They also agreed to work with the party leadership and its campaign structures to improve the APC’s chances at the polls.
The reconciliation committee disclosed that discussions with members of the group of governorship aspirants known as the “G6” had been concluded, except for Barrister Akeem Agbaje.
The reconciled aspirants also expressed their desire to meet Tinubu at a mutually convenient time to formally reaffirm their support for his 2027 presidential bid.
