•Rival camps exchange claims
The crisis rocking the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Oyo State has deepened as Dr Gbemileke Alagbe and Taofeeq Adegoke have continued to make opposing claims over the party’s gubernatorial candidacy ahead of the 2027 elections.
While Alagbe insisted that he exited the May 22, 2026 gubernatorial primaries supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies, Adegoke maintained that his name is on the INEC portal as the party’s gubernatorial candidate.
Adegoke, who recently revealed the structure of his campaign, said its inclusion on the INEC portal should resolve the controversy. He said: “My name appears on the INEC portal as the ADC gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State. Therefore, I do not understand why Alagbe is still bent on creating confusion and causing problems within the party.”
He claimed that he had approached Alagbe in a bid to resolve the dispute, adding that he even offered to support his senatorial ambition. According to him: “My intention was not to fight against Alagbe or anyone. I wanted us to find a political solution that would accommodate everyone and prevent this controversy from becoming a major problem for the ADC.”
Adegoke also accused Alagbe of worsening the crisis by publicly challenging the party’s position, alleging that some individuals opposed to the ADC’s progress were encouraging dissent. However, he said he remained open to reconciliation based on respect for party processes.
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But Alagbe, in a separate interview, dismissed the claim, insisting that he won the May 22 primary out of the five aspirants who participated. He said the exercise was monitored by INEC and security agencies and he had both the result and the return certificate to support his position.
“The ADC gubernatorial primaries were held on May 22, 2026. The primaries were supervised by INEC and all relevant security agencies. I emerged as the winner of the primaries among the five aspirants who competed. I was declared the winner and I have the return certificate to prove it,” Alagbe said.
He argued that anyone challenging its emergence should seek legal redress rather than using the media or party structures to create another claim. He said: “If they had really questioned my victory, they would have gone to court or taken action to invalidate the primary result and report.”
He also rejected the suggestion that the national leadership could simply determine the candidate for governor, insisting that the law and the result of a valid primary must prevail. “The national leadership does not determine who the candidate is. That is determined by the law,” he stated.
Alagbe, however, acknowledged that the continued division could harm the ADC’s chances in the 2027 elections, and urged members to reconcile.
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