Home NewsOYO Governorship Race Hots Up

OYO Governorship Race Hots Up

by Dare Adeniran
  • As More Aspirants Show Interest

Race to the most exalted seat in Oyo State is getting interesting by the day. More and more aspirants are showing interest to succeed the incumbent governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde at the end of his second term tenure in 2027.

It’s also more interesting that as the list of those who have decided to throw their hats in the ring for the guber race has on it established politicians, there are some new names as well. In fact, a quite numerous names have come up as likely successors to governor Makinde.

Chief Bayo Adelabu, the current Minister of Power, Senator Sarafadeen Abiodun Alli, a federal lawmaker representing Oyo South at the Senate, former Senate Leader and the Oyo All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in 2023 general elections, Chief Teslim Folarin, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Hon. Olayinka Oladimeji, the chairman of Erudite Group, Chief Saheed Oladele, a three-time governorship aspirant and APC Chieftain, Barrister Akeem Agbaje, a member of the House of Representatives representing the Ibadan South West/North West Constituency, Honourable Adedeji Stanley Olajide (Odidi Omo) and several others have all shown their interest to contest the governorship race come 2027.

Latest on the of aspirants, however, are Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja and Chief Adegboyega Adegoke. Arapaja is a former Deputy Governor of Oyo State and former Nigerian Ambassador to Jordan and Iraqi and PDP National Deputy Chairman (South). While Adegoke is the Chairman/CEO Solution 93.9 F.M and an Ibadan chief and a philanthropist.

To actualise his ambition of “serving the people of Oyo State as governor” in 2027, Adegoke has since commenced consultations with PDP stakeholders and those that matter in Oyo politics. He recently met with some PDP leaders at the residence of the Co-Chairman of the PDP Elders’ Council, Chief Wole Oyelese at Ikolaba Area of Ibadan.

Meanwhile, Arapaja, in some quarters, is believed to be the best candidate to succeed Governor Makinde. Arapaja’s supporters are of strong conviction that his wealth of experience in governance and in the diplomatic arena has really prepared him for the top job.

Apart from Arapaja and Adegoke, others who have also indicated their interests in the guber election come 2027 include Colonel Gbenga Adegbola (retd) who wants to contest under APC, a member of the House of Representatives representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in APC, Engr. Aderemi Oseni and Barr. Akeem Agbaje, another APC chieftain in the state.

There are also the APC senator representing Oyo North, Abdulfatai Buhari, the son of murdered PDP House of Representatives member, Chief Akintola Oladimeji (Segelu), Hon. Olayinka Oladimeji (Segelu), among others.

As the succession battle and strategic moves continue, there are also conversations and different perspectives regarding the dimension which Oyo governorship election should take in 2027, especially within the two major political parties in the state, the APC and PDP

While members of the ruling party PDP are anxiously looking forward to who governor Makinde will anoint as his successor, stakeholders in the opposition party (APC) are campaigning against imposition of candidate.

Recall that Governor Makinde had earlier pegged the age limit of his likely successors to between 50 and 52. This, he said, is to enable a young and youthful person to be in control in other to confront the tedious nature of governance. But the governor was to later expanded the age bracket to between 45 and 55. He has further said that his preferred candidate shall be unveiled by January 2026.

Governor Makinde, in his March 2025 bi-monthly newsletter, insisted that by 2026, he would reveal his anointed gubernatorial candidate for the 2027 elections in Oyo State. That it’s now left for people of the state to decide on who they want to lead them.

He said though his administration had redefined governance and showed the people of Oyo State what was possible with strategic thinking and targeted implementations, “the truth is, it is in the hands of the people of Oyo State to chart a new path and decide their destiny.”

“You gave me the opportunity to serve you, and so you will also decide who will serve you next. As I stated during the 11th Omituntun Ramadan lecture a few days ago, sometime in 2026, I will reveal who I will be supporting for the 2027 gubernatorial elections. It will then be left to you, the good people of Oyo State, to say if you want that continuity. Some people have began to ask what next and whether the next governor would not remove some of the efforts,” Makinde further expatiated.

But beyond whoever Makinde will support to succeed himself, there is another key issue that is currently the topmost of political discuss in Oyo State. The Oke-Ogun people are clamoring for a shift of power from Ibadan to their zone. And this is not about political parties. Rather, it’s about common interest of the zone. A good number of political bigwigs across political parties from Oke-Ogun have joined the campaign and are lending their voices to what it’s described as unjust towards the zone.

According to a former Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, stakeholders within APC from Oke-Ogun have resolved that other sections, particularly, Ibadan, should concede the governorship to another zone in the interest of fairness.

He said, “It’s time for Ibadan to concede to Oke-Ogun. In the last 24 years, four governors from Ibadan have governed this state. A situation where the deputy governorship is permanently zoned to Oke-Ogun is unacceptable and doesn’t serve the interests of our party or the state itself.”

Shittu further stated that the Oke-Ogun zone would not settle for the deputy governorship slot in the 2027 Oyo State governorship election, adding that leaders from Oke-Ogun, particularly, those affiliated with the APC had commenced strategic meetings to ensure the zone produces the state’s next governor.

The believe is that Oke-Ogun, the second biggest to Ibadan, out of the 5 geopolitical zones in Oyo State, has not been treated well in the scheme of things politically.

Ibadan has 11 Local Governments areas, Oke-Ogun 10, Ogbomoso 5, Oyo 4 and Ibarapa zone is comprises of 3 Local Governments.

-Dare Adeniran

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