A group within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State, known as the Articulate Progressives, has declared Chief Adebayo Adelabu, the current Minister of Power, as the prime candidate to rejuvenate the party’s image ahead of the 2027 governorship elections.
This assertion emerged in response to a recent report from a faceless organization, the “Progressives Forum for Good Governance,” which criticized the endorsement of Adelabu.
In a statement released to newsmen in Ibadan, the Articulate Progressives’ Chairman, Alhaji Kayode Adelani, emphasized the necessity of strong leadership to restore the party’s fortunes in the state.
They stated, “Adelabu is not just a candidate; he embodies the hope and aspirations of our party members. His experience and dedication make him the best choice for Oyo State.”
The group strongly condemned the opposing faction for their stance against Adelabu’s candidacy, arguing that the narrative surrounding his defeat in the 2019 gubernatorial election was misconstrued.
“Adelabu’s loss was not a reflection of his capabilities but rather a consequence of the political machinations of foes of the then Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi. Those who sought to undermine Ajimobi’s legacy also worked against Adelabu. In spite of this overwhelming challenge, animosities and gang up against Late Governor Ajimobi and his candidate, our party still recorded over three hundred and and fifty seven thousand votes at the polls. This is a clear pointer to Adelabu’s acceptability by the grassroots statewide” noted the group.
Furthermore, the Articulate Progressives asserted that with the right leadership, the APC could reclaim its dominance in Oyo State, saying, “We believe that with Chief Adelabu at the helm, we can unite our party and present a formidable front in the upcoming elections. The group described the news of Abuja endorsement of Adelabu candidature for Oyo APC 2027 Guber elections as not only mischievously pre-emptive but also as the oppositions’ tactics and incitement targeted at creating dissaffection and fresh internal crisis in APC. The group is of the opinion that Adelabu’s candidature will be fully supported by patriotic Oyo state APC members and generality of the masses in the general elections. The group says, it is confident that Adelabu has all it takes to emerge as the party’s choice in a well organized party primary elections. The group described itself as sticklers for party’s internal democracy rather than imposition of candidates.”
The group, then, called on party members to rally behind Adelabu, urging unity and collective effort in the quest to restore the APC’s standing in the state. His acceptability at the national stage as a Federal Cabinet member and his performance so far in the highly challenging and historically notorious Ministry of Power will also be a plus for our party at the next elections. He has really made the party and state proud with his modest achievement so far, having broken all landmark sectoral performance records and parameters and new ones set for power generation, transmission and distribution under his stewardship of less than 2 years.