Senator Sarafadeen Alli has emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Oyo State after defeating former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, in the party’s primary election.
Alli, who represents Oyo South in the Senate, secured 578,143 votes to beat Adelabu and another contender in the race.
Adelabu had stepped down from his position as Minister of Power to contest for the APC ticket ahead of the 2027 governorship election in the state.
However, the former minister rejected the outcome of the exercise, alleging widespread irregularities during the primary.
Speaking with journalists shortly after voting at his ward on Thursday, Adelabu claimed reports from across the state pointed to serious misconduct during the process.
“I must sound this note of warning that it is not this way in a lot of other wards,” he said.
According to him, there were complaints of electoral infractions in several areas, including allegations that voting started earlier than scheduled in some wards and that figures were manipulated.
“In some wards, they conducted the election hours before the appointed time and wrote the figures they liked,” Adelabu alleged.
The outcome sets the stage for what is expected to be a fierce contest for the Oyo governorship seat ahead of the 2027 general elections.
