Ogun 2027: Inside Hunye, Adeola’s tense battle for APC governorship ticket

On August 22, the political atmosphere of the Ogun State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, witnessed a dramatic shift. Former governorship aspirant, Abayomi Semako Hunye, unveiled his deputy gubernatorial candidate, Abayomi Odunowo, during a press conference. Hunye, previously the Managing Director of the Ogun State Waste Management Authority, refuted rumors about his withdrawal from the race.

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, had earlier in April, announced Solamilekan Solomon Adeola as the consensus candidate for the 2027 governorship election. The decision was made after a strategic meeting attended by party leaders and other former governors. However, Hunye, like Adeola, did not attend the meeting.

Two weeks after Adeola secured the nomination, Hunye dismissed the consensus and obtained his nomination form, which cost N50 million. Despite this, Adeola emerged victorious in the primary election with 304,055 votes, while Hunye did not receive any votes.

Hunye's campaign organization later rejected the primary result, alleging numerous irregularities and the disenfranchisement of his supporters. They claimed Hunye secured 453,765 votes, disputing the declared outcome. Hunye sought to challenge the outcome in court, but was prevented by the Electoral Act 2022 and the 1999 Constitution.

Despite the controversy, Yemi Sanusi, chairman of the APC Ogun chapter, reaffirmed Adeola's status as the party's candidate for the 2027 governorship election.