The party says Solomon Adeola won the May primary with 304,055 votes, while Abayomi Hunye insists his court challenge to the process remains active

The All Progressives Congress has reaffirmed Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, as its Ogun State governorship candidate for the 2027 election, while Abayomi Semako Hunye continues to challenge the party’s primary in court.

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The latest dispute unfolded in Ogun State on Sunday and Monday, August 23 and 24, 2026, after Hunye addressed supporters in Abeokuta and unveiled Otunba Abayomi Odunowo as his running mate, saying he remained in the race while his legal challenge was pending.

The Ogun APC, however, rejected the claim and said Adeola remained its recognised candidate. The national leadership subsequently backed the state chapter’s position, describing Hunye as suspended and warning against dealings with him in the name of the party. (Trending News)

The party’s national secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, said Hunye had been suspended on April 7, 2026, following a petition from his Tube Ward in Ipokia Local Government Area.

The APC said the suspension originated at ward level, was ratified by the local government chapter and approved by the Ogun State Working Committee.

The national secretariat said the suspension was communicated to the party’s headquarters and accused Hunye of activities it said were injurious to the party’s image and capable of creating division among members.

“Consequently, he lacks the legal and moral standing to represent the APC in any capacity,” the party said. (Voice of Nigeria)

The APC maintained that Adeola emerged from the party’s May 21 governorship primary with 304,055 votes from 305,287 accredited voters.

The primary had 343,292 registered voters, while Hunye was recorded as receiving no votes. (Punch Newspapers)

Adeola, who represents Ogun West Senatorial District, subsequently selected Kudirat Abiodun Adegunwa-Balogun as his running mate.

The APC said the names of both candidates had been submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission as its governorship ticket for the 2027 election. (Punch Newspapers)

The Ogun State chairman, Chief Yemi Sanusi, had already sought to draw a firm line under the controversy, urging members and the public to disregard claims that anyone other than Adeola represented the party in the governorship race.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ogun State APC wishes to state clearly that Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as Yayi, is the duly recognised governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Ogun State for the 2027 election,” Sanusi said. (Trending News)

Hunye has offered a different account of the dispute.

Speaking at a press briefing in Abeokuta on Saturday, August 22, Hunye rejected reports that he had withdrawn from the contest. He said he had resumed political activities because the electoral process was continuing while his legal challenge against the primary remained before the courts. (Vanguard News)

Hunye also clarified through his media office that he had not declared himself the APC’s governorship candidate.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Hon Abayomi Hunye has never declared himself the APC Governorship Candidate,” his media office said.

It added that his position was that the matter remained before a court of competent jurisdiction and that questions surrounding Adeola’s emergence were still subject to judicial determination. (PM News Nigeria)

Hunye’s challenge is not new. In June, he called for the cancellation of the APC primary, questioning the result that gave him zero votes despite his campaign across the state’s 236 wards and 20 local government areas.

He argued that the exercise should be nullified and a fresh primary conducted. (The Guardian Nigeria)

His latest move to unveil Odunowo as a running mate has added a fresh political dimension to the dispute, although the APC has rejected the move as having no bearing on its official ticket.

Former federal lawmaker and APC chieftain Kayode Oladele criticised Hunye’s continued pursuit of the nomination, describing the move as an “exercise in futility”.

“What Hon Hunye is presently doing is a one-man show. His activities do not represent the position or programme of the APC in Ogun State,” Oladele said.

Oladele added that Hunye remained entitled to pursue whatever legal remedies were available to him, but argued that unveiling a running mate could not create a second APC ticket.

The dispute leaves the party with a striking contrast ahead of the 2027 election.

Its national and state structures have presented Adeola as the candidate and said his details have been forwarded to INEC, while Hunye continues to rely on the courts to challenge the process that produced him.

For now, the APC’s official position is firmly behind Adeola, but the unresolved legal challenge means the controversy surrounding the Ogun governorship ticket is unlikely to disappear quickly.

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The outcome of the court proceedings could ultimately determine whether the party’s current position remains intact as the 2027 electoral process gathers momentum.