Tinubu Hasn’t Endorsed Anyone For Oyo Governorship Election – Bayo Adelabu

Adebayo Adelabu, the former minister of power, said that President Bola Tinubu has not backed any candidate ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship race in Oyo State in 2027.

Adebayo Adelabu was appointed minister in August 2023 after being cleared by the senate.

On Wednesday, he stepped down to comply with the Electoral Act and concentrate fully on his ambition to become governor of Oyo State.

Speaking in Ibadan on Thursday shortly after returning from Abuja, the former minister dismissed claims that Tinubu had already chosen another candidate for the race.

According to him, Tinubu has no reason to single out anyone, given his responsibilities as the leader of the country.

“Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, president of the federal Republic of Nigeria with 36 states, 774 local governments and almost 9,000 wards… he will not endorse or have special interest in anybody,” he said.

“Of course, in the last two, three weeks, there have been rumours that Asiwaju has endorsed someone else. But it is all a lie. I am his son. If he has such a plan, he would have told me.”

Adelabu pointed to his political history with Tinubu, noting that they worked together during the 2019 elections and again in 2023 before he briefly moved to the Accord Party, where he still supported the president.

“We did the 2019 election together. He supported me and we got to the supreme court. Also, during the 2023 election, we were together before I defected to Accord Party and I even supported him,” Adelabu said.

“When he became the president, he invited me despite being from another party, to be a minister in his cabinet. And not too longer after, I came back here to the APC where I truly belong.”

Earlier in March, Adelabu avoided discussing his resignation or political plans, saying he was focused on fixing Nigeria’s power sector.

But he has now made it clear that his decision to leave the cabinet was entirely about pursuing his governorship ambition.

He described the move as a risk he was willing to take, saying it aligns with his long-standing goal of leading Oyo.

“The singular reason for my resignation is to come back and plead for the opportunity to represent our party as the guber candidate in the 2027 general election. That is the only reason why I resigned,” he said.

“And this is not my first time of taking such risk because it is what I believe in and I’m ready to satisfy anything to ensure that I get to that position of representing our party and of winning the election.”

Adelabu added that he has been preparing for the position for years and believes he has what it takes to improve infrastructure, boost the economy, and strengthen security if given the opportunity.

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